The Stone and the Diamond
by Areida Martinez
Summary: Ciel is told he must entertain a business partner's daughter, but things don't exactly go as well as planned...She is, after all, just a little bit...off. Later in the story, there will be romance, but it won't be for a while.
1. Chapter 1  The Atkins Girl

"Young master." The tall, thin, black-haired butler set Ciel's breakfast on the bedside table as his master stirred in bed. A crisp smile was on the sharply-dressed butler's face as he stood waiting for Ciel to wake up, watching him with sharp red eyes.

"Yes, yes, I'm awake," the disgruntled boy muttered, rubbing his eyes as he sat up sleepily. His blue-hued dark grey hair was rumpled from sleep, and he didn't look like he had slept well; bags were starting underneath his mismatched eyes.

"Breakfast today is Earl Grey tea and raspberry tarts, as you requested," said the butler with a smile, gesturing to the ornate silver tray on the table next to his young master's bed. "Today, you shall have your violin lessons, then entertain a business partner's daughter."

"It was the Atkins girl, yes?" Ciel asked as he ate, allowing Sebastian to put his eye patch on for him.

"Yes, Lady Kendall is her name." Sebastian helped Ciel dress himself, and they went down to the study for violin lessons. Lessons were uneventful, except for Ciel being a bit more distracted than he usually was. "Is something wrong, Young Master?" Sebastian asked, raising an eyebrow as the lesson neared its end.

"I've heard a lot of things about this Lady Kendall girl," Ciel said hesitantly. "I've heard she's a bit…well, off."

"A bit crazy, yes, I've heard that as well," Sebastian conceded with a nod. "However, I've also ensured that she's completely harmless. And you must treat her kindly; she's the daughter of a very important business partner to Funtom. You will also remember the business plan relating to her father's company that you put together."

"Yes, yes," Ciel muttered, putting down his violin. "When will she be here?"

"Actually," said Sebastian, checking his watch, "she should be here any minute. The lesson will conclude for today, please go down to the main hallway to welcome her."

Ciel was still waiting impatiently in the main hallway, as Sebastian's eyes followed the hands of his pocket watch intently as the seconds ticked by. "She's late," Ciel griped, crossing his arms. "We've been waiting here for half an hour already."

"Patience, Young Master," Sebastian replied, snapping the watch shut. "She's here now, after all." Indeed, a carriage could be heard pulling up in front of the mansion, drawn by a single speckled grey horse. Ciel stood up and smoothed out his clothing, anticipating another eccentric guest. He was pretty used to strange people at this point.

The door opened to, yes, a very eccentric guest, although her appearance wasn't the most blatantly odd thing about her at first glance…more specifically, her clothes were what made her so eccentric. She had longish straight brown hair, with a fresh red rose tucked behind her ear. Her eyes were wide and green, and freckles were scattered over her nose and cheeks. She had pale skin, and a rather pretty face, actually. However, her clothing...was, well, interesting, to say the least. Instead of a dress or a skirt, which would be proper, she wore loose-fitting black pants that stopped at the knee. Black boots that almost looked like the kind one would wear in combat reached up to her ankle and were laced up with red ribbons instead of laces. Her shirt was a red blouse, with black lace around the neck and around the hem. She had a bright smiling expression on her face, and she excitedly bounded up to Ciel. A woman, clearly her maid and clearly quite frazzled, came in after her with a hairbrush in hand, muttering something. At closer inspection, Kendall had a few blades of grass and even a couple leaves and twigs in her hair, as if she'd been rolling around in a field or something. Her maid had brown hair with streaks of gray in it, tied up in a bun on the top of her head.

"Ciel Phantomhive! I've heard so much about you, it's wonderful to finally meet you!" Kendall said, eagerly reaching out a hand to shake. He took her hand hesitantly, and she gave him a much firmer shake than he'd been expecting. "And who's this?" she asked, turning to Sebastian.

Sebastian looked relatively surprised to be addressed by a guest like that, but he did that classic 'Sebastian Smirk' and bowed, hand on his chest. "I am Sebastian Michaelis, the Phantomhive butler. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Kendall."

"Oh! It's very nice to meet you!" she said, reaching over and shaking his hand as well. Both Sebastian and Ciel looked surprised at this point, and shot each other quizzical looks. "So, this is your house?" Kendall asked, looking around in fascination. "It's beautiful! Such a lovely mansion."

"…Er. Thank you, Lady Kendall." Ciel cleared his throat and stood up a bit straighter. "Would you like to head to the courtyard? We could begin discussing"—he was cut off mid-sentence.

"Actually, that sounds like a grand idea," Kendall interjected with a bright smile.

"Lady Kendall!" huffed the maid, grabbing on to her arm and attempting to brush out the grass that was stuck in her hair. "If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times; do _not_ go running off before we leave to visit a business partner! You look like some urchin that's been picked up off the streets! And don't interrupt people when they're talking!"

"Let gooooo," Kendall complained, pouting at her maid as she tried to wriggle free from her grip. "I saw that albino deer from yesterday, I was following it!" Kayla started rubbing at her young mistress's face; there was a smudge of dirt on her cheek.

Ciel gave Sebastian a look that suggested he was about ready to smack the butler. What kind of crazy girl had he invited over here? Even Ciel had never met such a blatantly improper girl.

Sebastian just shrugged subtly, although he now had a smirk on his face. Watching his young master try to deal with such strange people was quite amusing to the butler, even if he did often have to rescue his young master from such situations.

Kendall had finally shaken off the disgruntled maid. "This is Kayla, my maid." Kayla gave a curtsy.

"Lady Kendall, if I may guide you to the courtyard…" said Sebastian, bowing again and starting off. Kendall nodded and followed after Ciel and Sebastian eagerly, with the maid Kayla following behind.

Kendall looked absolutely star-struck when she saw the garden in the courtyard. "It's beautiful!" she said with a gasp. "I've never seen such perfect roses." She bounded over to the nearest rosebush and carefully stroked the petals of one of the roses, enraptured by their scent and perfect shape.

"That is all thanks to our wonderful gardener, Finny," Sebastian told her, pointing to where Finny was perched on a ladder, trimming a tree. It seemed that Sebastian was giving Finny credit for the garden, even though with all the mishaps caused by the over-strong gardener it seemed that Sebastian did more of the work.

"Oh! Maybe I'll introduce myself later, I don't want to interrupt him while he's working," Kendall replied. "So, Ciel," she began after a moment, turning to him, "you wanted to discuss something?"

"Ah, yes," he replied, gesturing to a table in the center of the courtyard. "Would you like to sit down?"

"Certainly." She sat down promptly, pulling out her own chair and not even giving either one of them the chance to pull it out for her. It appeared that this girl was very independent, even from her own maid; speaking of whom, Kayla had arrived moments after, huffing and puffing, having been left behind by Kendall's excited speed. "So," Kendall began with a chipper smile, "what did you want to discuss?"

"Your father is the owner of the Atkins Corporation, yes?" Ciel asked, still rather bewildered by this girl's odd behavior.

Kendall's face seemed to fall a bit, but she responded, albeit a bit flatly. "Yes, he is. A rather stiff name for a doll company, I know."

"Well," Ciel continued, hardly registering what she'd said or her reaction, "Funtom would like to make a deal with your father about the company, but as I understand it he's away on business, yes?"

"Yes, he's away in Ireland right now actually. He left me in charge, but you already know that, don't you?"

"Indeed. Well, Funtom has been thinking of making an offer for some time now," Ciel began. "We're offering to buy your father's doll company off of you and join into one business. Funtom already makes toys for children; we would love to add your products to our inventory."

Kendall stared at him for a while, seeming to be contemplating it. Then she spoke as if there had never been any doubt, a little louder than was possibly necessary. "No."

"Not even a chance?" Ciel asked in surprise, not having expected that answer.

"No. We're not selling." She shook her head.

"You would continue receiving a percentage of the profits…As I understand it, the company your father runs is falling into debt as it is. Funtom has calculated that you would be much more profitable as a part of our company." Ciel didn't seem to register her now-stiff posture and clenched fists.

Kendall's face turned red and her expression became dark and angry. "We are not in debt! My father's company is perfectly successful, thank you very much!" She stood up, despite Kayla's attempts to calm the young lady down. "We're not selling!" she repeated, and proceeded to storm out of the courtyard and back toward the entrance hall.

Ciel simply watched in surprise, and Sebastian did the same as Kayla hurried off after her, muttering something about a 'crazy girl'. "…What did I say?" Ciel asked, glancing at his butler in confusion. "I have very reliable sources that tell me they _are_ in debt. Why would she deny it? And why did she react so badly?"

"My lord, her father's company was said to have started long before her father was even born. It's a family business, and people can be quite touchy about their family's monetary state. Let her calm down, and perhaps ease back into the conversation later." Sebastian watched the door, contemplating this girl and her quickly-changing moods. What a sudden outburst, he mused.

A good while later, Kayla reappeared in the courtyard, looking a bit shameful and fidgeting where she stood. "I'm terribly sorry for my lady's behavior, sir, but she insists on leaving immediately…I can't convince her otherwise. It's like she's glued to the carriage seat, she won't come back in no matter what I try…"

Ciel raised an eyebrow and looked a bit irritated. He opened his mouth to speak, but Sebastian cut in before Ciel could get in a word.

"No, no, there is no need to apologize, madam. My young master had no intention of hurting the young lady's feelings and will send an apology letter later on today." Ciel shot him a dirty look. "Please, if Lady Kendall wishes to leave, we will not force her to stay." Kayla curtsied and scurried off once more. A moment later, the sound of a carriage leaving could be heard.

"An apology letter? For what? I didn't do anything wrong!" Ciel protested, standing up and crossing his arms.

"It is the proper thing to do, considering you did push her to do this even if you didn't intend to. Besides," Sebastian continued with a smile, "it is not she who makes the final decisions, but her father. When her father returns to town from his business trip, you can have a business discussion with him. I have a feeling he will be more willing to negotiate than his daughter."

Ciel nodded, and the day concluded uneventfully from there, even if Ciel did end up having troubles forcing himself to write the apology letter.

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading! This is the first fanfiction I've ever written that I feel confident enough to publish. And don't worry, it's not going to be near as boring as this first chapter. Think of this as a prelude, if you will. The story warms up after this. By the way, any reviews/critique is very much appreciated! 3**


	2. Chapter 2  A Thunderstorm

A few weeks had passed, and Ciel exited his mansion with a small smirk on his face. "I'm glad we could come to an agreement," he said to Lord Atkins, the owner of the doll company.

"Thank you for the offer, we truly appreciate it." Lord Atkins was a short, somewhat pudgy man, with balding salt-and-pepper hair and a clean-shaven face. He had a ruddier complexion than that of his excessively pale daughter, and a _very_ different opinion on whether or not to sell the company, thankfully for Ciel.

"Take care, sir." Ciel watched as Lord Atkins got into his carriage. He caught a glimpse of Lady Kendall as well, and for the moment before the carriage door closed again he caught her gaze.

She was glaring murderously at him, and clearly wasn't satisfied with her father's decision.

"Well, another successful business move for Funtom," said Ciel, shrugging off that angry expression he'd just received and heading back toward the mansion.

"Wait, sir," came Sebastian's voice, as he strode out from the mansion. "The weather is changing for the worse. Perhaps it would be wiser for you to stay a night until the weather clears up."

Ciel glanced up at the sky. Indeed, it was cloudy and dark, and in the distance lightning could be seen. In fact, even now it was beginning to drizzle. It would soon turn into a steady downpour.

Lord Atkins turned back around to listen to what his daughter had to say; she obviously disagreed with the butler and did not want to stay. However, Lord Atkins shook his head and got back out of the carriage. "You're right. We will stay the night and set off in the morning, if it's not too much trouble."

"We have plenty of guest rooms for you to use." Sebastian graciously extended his hand to help Kendall out of the carriage, but she ignored his hand and hopped down herself, getting her shoes a bit muddy as she did so. It appeared that she didn't want to accept his help; she was bitter toward the Phantomhives.

Today she was wearing a skirt, at least, but it only went down to her knees and it was the strangest shade of bright green. Her shirt had a black bodice with a white blouse underneath, and once again she was wearing the black combat boots with the ribbon laces, only the laces today were that same shade of green. Now that she was out of the carriage her outfit was more visible, and Ciel raised his eyebrow at his new guest. Honestly, if Elizabeth saw that outfit she would die of a heart attack. He entertained the notion of introducing the two girls for a moment; that would be interesting to watch.

Bypassing Ciel and Sebastian both, Kendall walked into the mansion, her father following with an apologetic look to the two. Ciel looked a bit irritated at her rudeness, but didn't say anything.

"Meirin will show you to your room," said Sebastian, beckoning the reddish-purple-haired maid over. She was about to get down the china from the cabinet; a smooth move by Sebastian, saving the china from shattering due to Meirin's clumsiness and keeping himself from getting glared at the entire time.

Meirin hurried over nervously, and Kendall's expression softened. No need to move her anger at the butler and the head of the house to the servants, she supposed.

"This way, milady," Meirin said, beckoning Lady Kendall to follow. Kendall smiled a bit and followed, hands folded behind her back. "Your name was Meirin, right?" she asked, sticking out her hand to shake. Meirin stared at the girl's hand for a moment before shaking it in surprise. The two had paused on the stairs up to the next floor.

"Yes, milady." Meirin gave a curtsy.

"Call me Kendall," she offered with a bright, wide smile. Her entire demeanor had changed from the way she was interacting with Ciel and Sebastian. Meirin blinked a few times behind her glasses, but smiled nervously.

"Yes, mila—Kendall," she replied, easing up a bit. "So, I hear the young master bought your father's company…?"

Kendall's face fell a bit, but she nodded. "We're staying because of the storm."

"Ah, right! That's Sebastian, that is—always prepared." Meirin opened a large cedar door to a guest room, and Kendall shrugged.

"I suppose so. Well, thank you, Meirin," she said, walking inside without a word, not giving any hints of wanting dinner or anything to eat.


	3. Chapter 3  Midnight Snack

Sebastian was straightening up the mansion, a flickering candlestick in his hand as he did so. Nighttime was when the servants were asleep and not causing destruction; that was when Sebastian could get most of his work done. Not like he needed sleep anyway.

Apparently, though, the mansion was never completely quiet. A loud clanging of pots and pans came from the kitchen. Sebastian arrived there in a flash, but was rather confused by the scene.

Lady Kendall was in the kitchen in her nightgown, along with Bard, Finny, and Meirin, also in their pajamas. The four were giggling incessantly, and Bard had dropped a pan on the floor; that was the source of the crash. The stove was lit, and it looked like Bard was trying to cook—pancakes? Well, either way, they had burnt to the pan and were just charred circles by now, so whatever they'd been intended to be was completely lost.

It was strange, though, how comfortable Lady Kendall seemed with the servants; she and Meirin were standing next to each other giggling, and Finny looked like he hadn't even destroyed anything with his immense strength yet. Still, Bard's cooking was beyond help.

"Ahem."

All activity in the kitchen stopped, including Lady Kendall's laughter. All of them were looking at Sebastian with guilty faces, even Lady Kendall.

"W-we're sorry, Sebastian," Finny stammered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Y'see, Kendall was hungry, and we were all awake anyhow, so Bard was trying to make pancakes, and…they burned…"

Bard looked sheepish. "Pancakes don't cook well on the highest heat settin'," he muttered.

Meirin was fidgeting nervously. "W-we was just keepin' her company, see, Mister Sebastian…'Cause she was in the kitchen all by herself tryin' to find a midnight snack…"

"Finny," interjected Sebastian, "please use proper manners when addressing our guest. She is a lady, and you shall respect her as such. Bard, I have told you time and time again that there is no need to use the highest setting on the stove at any time for any type of cooking. Meirin, do not bother our guest when she is awake at midnight. It is highly rude." All three of the servants looked shamefully at the ground.

"Don't yell at them," Kendall interjected, looking up at Sebastian defiantly. "I told them they could call me Kendall. Nobody's completely perfect. Either way, I wanted their company. They're not bothering me in the slightest!"

All three servants stood gaping at Kendall as she had a stare-down with a highly surprised Sebastian.

"…Terribly sorry, milady," Sebastian said, giving a bow with his hand over his heart. "I misunderstood." He turned to exit the kitchen.

"…Wooow," said Finny, being the first one to recover from the shock and looking at Kendall in awe. "You stood up to Mister Sebastian!"

"That was amazin', soldier," Bard said, clapping a hand rather forcefully on Kendall's back and sending her stumbling forward a few steps.

"Well, he was being unfair," she said, looking at them in surprise. "You mean you never told him off before?"

All three shook their heads.

"Wow. I never would have guessed." Kendall looked positively baffled.

"He's not all that mean," said Meirin defensively. "We goof up a lot, yes we do!"

"That's true," Finny admitted.

"But who said he can tell you guys how to do your jobs?" Kendall asked.

"He's much better at all our jobs than any of us are," Finny admitted sheepishly. "We just cause him problems all the time."

"I gotta admit, he's a better cook than I am," Bard said, frowning at the burnt pancakes.

"And he never drops the china or crashes the cabinet or spills the wine or gets nervous around guests…" Meirin continued.

"And he always trims the flowers perfectly, and never spills pesticides on the lawn…" Finny added.

"What is he, superman?" Kendall queried, blinking a few times.

"That's what I called him once!" Bard interjected with a grin. "But, naw. He always says he's just 'one hell of a butler'."

"I see." Kendall pulled up a stool, sitting down and propping up her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands. "What about Ciel? Everyone seems to like him a lot, but to me he just seems like a greedy businessman."

"Oh, no! Well, sometimes. But Ciel's our young master, yes he is, and we can never thank him enough for what he's done," Meirin said, nodding firmly.

"Yes! We love the young master," Finny agreed. "And Sebastian, too."

"That little squirt's not so bad," Bard said, patting Kendall on the back. "He's just had to grow up real fast, that's all."

"Wasn't there a fire in this mansion a while ago?" Kendall asked.

All three of them solemnly nodded. "The young master's parents died in that fire," Finny said with a melancholy tone.

Kendall's expression softened. "I see," she murmured. "I guess that explains why he's the head of Funtom."

"Yeah," Bard agreed. "Poor kid's got a lot of weight on his shoulders. Us and Sebastian're the only family the young master's got."

Meirin then chimed in, "And Sebastian and Ciel are inseparable, yes they are."

"I noticed that they're always hanging around each other," Kendall said thoughtfully. A yawn escaped her, and she finally stood up. "I should probably get to bed. It's really late, and Sebastian's already angry at you three."

"All righty then, good night Kendall!" Meirin said cheerfully. "I'll clean up this mess!"

"I'll help ya with that," Bard grumbled, using a spatula to try and scrape the burnt pancakes off the pan. "Night, kid."

"Good night," Finny chirped happily, waving at Kendall as she left the kitchen.

Kendall started back through the main hallway and up the large stairs to her room, thinking over what she'd discovered about Ciel and Sebastian. There was something strange about those two; that was for sure. Was his eye injured in the fire? Was that why he wore an eye patch?

She opened the door to her guest room, yawning and looking over at a large leather suitcase on the edge of her bed. The maid had been sent back to the mansion despite the terrible weather in order to retrieve clothes; it looked like the storm wasn't going to let up for a few days. Kendall rubbed her eyes tiredly. "I don't know how much longer I can stand living in the same house as that smug little brat…Whether he was forced to grow up early or not, he could stand a personality check. His butler, too." Mumbling this to herself, she slid under the blankets and quickly fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4  Slippery Trees

The next morning, Sebastian opened the door to the guest room carefully; she hadn't come out of her room yet this morning for breakfast. "Lady Kendall?" he asked softly, approaching the bed. The covers were all rumpled, but at closer inspection, she wasn't even in bed at the moment. By the look of the blankets, she'd been tossing and turning all night. "Where could she have gone…?" Sebastian mused, turning around and leaving the guest room again. His black shoes clicked on the ground as he walked down to the kitchen. Lady Kendall wasn't in there; it was just Bard chopping up some vegetables with an oversized cleaver. After giving Bard a brief re-teaching about the proper size of knife to use when cutting up vegetables, Sebastian moved to the courtyard.

It was still pouring down rain just like it had been yesterday, but Lady Kendall was indeed there, having an animated conversation with Finny…whilst up a tree. The Lady was wearing nothing but her nightgown, which embarrassed Sebastian somewhat. It seemed that the clothes Kayla had brought back overnight hadn't been the kind Kendall usually wore, and in favor of those she'd refused to put on a dress. Kendall always managed to be improper somehow; she wasn't wearing any shoes, and the hem of her nightgown was muddy despite the fact that it only reached down to her knees. In fact, Sebastian saw her combat boots sitting tossed a few feet apart from each other, right at the entrance to the courtyard. Not to mention the fact that her hair was, once again, full of grass and twigs, and it didn't even look like she'd put on any petticoats. Sebastian was mildly appalled and mildly amused at the same time.

Anyhow, Kendall was sitting up in a tree, stretching to reach an apple that was just beyond her fingertips. Finny was on a ladder a few feet below, holding a basket that was already half-full of apples.

"Don't reach too far or you'll fall!" Finny warned her, big eyes anxious. "The rain's making the branches slippery!"

"I can reach it," she assured him, standing up on the branch and reaching out again. "I've…almost…got it…"

Her foot slipped, and she toppled off the branch with an almost dog-like yelp. Sebastian darted forward, ready to catch her, but found—that she hadn't fallen after all. Rather like some sort of circus performer or monkey, she'd caught the branch with one arm and was now dangling a few feet above the ground. She narrowed her eyes at Sebastian, who had almost been kicked in the face by accident, and dropped the rest of the way, landing confidently on her feet and making a 'squelch' noise when her feet landed in the mud. "See, Finny? I'm fine," she declared cheerfully, ignoring Sebastian's presence as she dusted the bits of bark off her hands…using the skirt of her nightgown. Sebastian tried not to visibly grimace at this young lady's behavior.

"You almost fell and hurt yourself!" Finny exclaimed, clambering down the ladder hurriedly and bounding over, looking anxious once again. "Are you all right? I'm still worried that you're going to catch a cold out here in the rain…What with you not wearing warm clothes an' all."

"I'm fine," she said, waving off his concern like it was nothing that she'd almost fallen out of a tree.

"Lady Kendall," Sebastian began, causing the young lady to turn around and look at him with the most irritated face you can imagine. She knew a lecture was coming. "I would advise against climbing trees in this garden, especially in a nightgown and with no shoes. Not to mention the fact that it is raining and you're positively soaked."

"Shoes make it harder to climb. Besides, I have nothing else to wear."

"Well, then, perhaps climbing trees at all is a bad idea. A ladder would work just as well for picking apples, milady. Not to mention the fact that it's Finny's job, and we don't want to burden you with extra work whilst you are a guest here."

"But that's not nearly as fun," she informed Sebastian, crossing her arms. "I don't see why people freak out when I climb trees."

"You could have fallen, Lady Kendall."

"But I didn't!"

"You could still catch a cold from the rain."

"But I won't." Kendall was showing a highly stubborn, slightly immature side of herself here.

"For the sake of you, your father, and the company, I implore you to come inside, milady," Sebastian replied, his proper tone slightly strained with irritation.

"It's probably a good idea, Kendall," Finny piped up.

"Fine, fine," she replied, crossing her arms. "I'll go back inside. Sorry, Finny, I'll help you pick the apples later, when it's not raining." She squelched barefooted through the mud to the cobblestone path that led out to the courtyard. She picked up her shoes and headed back into the mansion without putting her shoes back on, tracking mud all over the place as she headed back up to her room. Sebastian winced, knowing he would have to clean that up later. However, he did take quite a bit of pleasure from hearing the maid Kayla yelling at Kendall for being 'positively filthy and soaked to the bone'. There was a brief argument, and a few minutes later Lady Kendall came back down in a light blue dress. Her hair was still dripping wet, but had fewer twigs and leaves in it, at the very least. Sebastian decided it wasn't wise to bother the young Lady at the moment, as she looked highly irritated, so he went back about his business, although he was still amused at her and her maid's constant conflict with each other.


	5. Chapter 5  A Letter From the Queen

Kendall became curious and bored. When that combination came about, strange things tended to happen to her…which was exciting, and therefore solved her boredom problem. So, she began poking around the mansion, searching for something like a library, or anything that could be interesting to find. Maybe a secret tunnel, or a tomb, or a hidden courtyard, or… Her mind went off into a daydream as she walked, thinking up more and more impossible ideas. A dungeon, an entrance to a whole other world, a room full of confidential information…

She came upon a wooden door and opened it curiously, peeking inside. Of course, it wasn't anything that spectacular. Just a plain old study, as far as she could tell. With a disappointed sigh, she stepped back out of the room, and suddenly found herself face to face with Ciel. Her face turned red and she looked rather guilty, like she'd been caught doing something wrong. Ciel, however, didn't seem to care.

"You really ought to be careful which doors you go opening in this house," he said cryptically, stepping past her and into the study. He sat down at his chair, beginning to examine the papers on his desk. After a pause, he glanced up. "Did you need something?"

Kendall hadn't realized she was still standing in the same place. "Oh! Um, actually, I was just…poking around." She fidgeted for a moment. "What are you doing?" She strolled up to his desk and peeked at his work. Irritably, the Earl pushed some more papers overtop of what he had been reading.

"Just some business. Nothing for you to be concerned about, Lady Kendall," Ciel said flippantly, beginning to read what he'd shoved on top of the original papers as if that had been what he was reading all along.

Kendall immediately frowned and dramatically threw her hands into the air in exasperation. "Why does everyone in this house think I can't do things?" she asked him. She then began a surprisingly accurate imitation of a bossy adult's voice for her next statement, complete with a hand on the hip and the obnoxious patronizing expression. "'Oh, Lady Kendall, that's not for you to do, oh, Lady Kendall, that's not your job, oh, Lady Kendall, you wouldn't enjoy that'—ugh!"

Ciel looked surprised at this girl's sudden outburst. "…Pardon me?"

"What's the big deal if I like to climb trees? What's the big deal if I like to be out in the rain? What's the big deal if I like to talk to the servants? What's the big deal if I don't dress the same way as everyone else?" she continued, still on her rant.

"It's not a big deal," Ciel interjected boredly, returning to his work with his forehead resting in his palm. "Honestly, anyone with their priorities straight shouldn't care what you do. It's just that it's some people's jobs to make sure you act at least semi-normal." He didn't even look up from his work as he said this. "Like your maid, or Sebastian, or even your father."

"Well, it's a stupid job then," she muttered, although she saw his point and had to agree. "I don't like being normal, not even semi-normal."

"Most girls would disagree."

"I don't like fading into the background. I've always had to scream to get noticed, so I got used to screaming. Eventually, it seemed like screaming was just normal for me." Clearly, her outrage at people expecting her to be normal extended to far before the start of her stay at the Phantomhive mansion.

"So actually, you're that kind of person who just wants to be noticed. So your desires aren't that unusual after all. You just want attention in the end," Ciel replied, a smirk on his face as he watched for her reaction.

"No, that's not it at all," Kendall argued. "I want to be different from everyone else, but I don't want to be the quiet little wallflower hiding in the corner either. So I make it blatantly obvious."

"You would most likely be better-liked if you were closer to the norm." He was a bit thrown off by her confidence in her motives.

"By shallow people, maybe. I figure if the clothes I wear or the things I like to do are the only things stopping people from being nice to me, they aren't friends worth having." She leaned on the corner of Ciel's desk, deciding this was going to be a long conversation.

"Friends aren't what I was getting at. I meant allies, the type of people who would side with you in a conflict."

"Again, not worth having if they're that shallow."

"You're a strange girl."

"Thank you," Kendall replied with a bright smile.

"That was not a compliment."

"To me it was. I like being strange, remember?" Her grin grew, and Ciel could tell she was confident she was right.

"Maybe. I'd love to continue this conversation, but I have work to do," Ciel said, returning his gaze back to the papers he was reading.

"All right, I'll just be on my way…With your secret paper!" Kendall said mischievously, swiftly grabbing a corner of the paper he had originally hidden from her that was protruding from under the 'cover paper'. She then dashed for the door with a mad laugh.

"Hey!" Ciel said in surprise, taken aback by the sudden gesture. "Lady Kendall, give that back immediately!"

Kendall leaned against the doorframe, inspecting the paper curiously with a grin comparable to the Cheshire Cat. "Ooh, a letter from the Queen? This should be interesting!" she giggled, beginning to read without realizing the seriousness of the paper she'd just swiped.

Ciel was out of his seat and lunging at her within moments, but Kendall was quick despite her heavy skirts; she dodged out of the way and spun around, heading for the staircase as she continued giggling. Ciel got back up from the spot he'd stumbled on and pursued her, but she'd done something he hadn't expected—she'd jumped on the rail of the staircase and was sliding down it expertly, the letter still in her hand. Not nearly as confident in his own balance, Ciel ran down the stairs after her, but she was already at the bottom by the time he'd made it halfway down. Again, she turned to taunt him with the letter.

"'My dear little Ciel'," she began, quoting the letter. "Whoa, you're on a first-name basis with the Queen? Impressive, Ciel," she teased. He'd almost reached the bottom of the stairs, and she whirled around and continued running.

"Unhand that letter now, it's confidential!" Ciel shouted after her, his asthma making it difficult for him to run. He was already panting severely.

"Don't worry, I'm good at keeping secrets," she replied teasingly over her shoulder. "Come on, you need to loosen up! You would think you hadn't played tag or keep-away in forever." Unfortunately for Kendall, Ciel had a home-field advantage, and he was gaining on her despite his asthma.

"Not since I was little. Now hand it over!" He had cornered her in the kitchen—how they'd gotten there so quickly, he had no idea—and held out a hand expectantly.

"Wow, you're stiff," she observed with a frown. "You _do_ need to loosen up, honestly." She glanced down at the letter, reading the next few lines before he snatched it away—'A series of murders in London has come to my attention, and it saddens me deeply…the murders of street children in which the main suspect is one Lord A'—that was as far as she got before the paper was yanked from her hands by an angry Ciel.

"Thief," he accused, tucking the paper into his jacket.

"It's called a game, Ciel," she replied innocently. "I was just teasing."

"Not funny," he muttered sulkily, turning to leave the kitchen.

"Gosh, someone needs a hug," she teased.

"I do not need a—GAH!" Ciel had been hugged from behind by a teasing Lady Kendall. "Get off!" She let go, but that crazy-looking smile was still on her face. "Quit that," he muttered.

"What, smiling?"

"No, quit being—weird! And improper!"

"I told you already, I like being weird."

"You are so difficult!"

"I've been told," she said cheerily.

"Honestly, you make no sense at all," Ciel muttered, turning around and heading out of the kitchen.

Kendall watched him leave curiously, with a small smile twitching at her lips. He certainly seemed stiff, and it was apparent he was mature to the point of ridiculousness for his age, but she'd caught a tiny glimpse of enjoyment on his face. Maybe, under that tough businessman façade, he was more than just a bratty, greedy owner of a toy company.


	6. Chapter 6 The Railing

Later, though, Kendall found herself coming into yet another conflict with Sebastian, outside in the pouring-down rain.

"Milady, I advise you to come down from there," called up Sebastian with a deep frown, a black umbrella in his hand.

"No thanks. I have a good view from up here," she replied, cupping her hands around her mouth so as to be heard. She was up in one of the spare rooms, which had a small balcony coming off the side of the house. Of course, rather than just standing on the balcony, she'd hopped up on the balcony's edge and was sitting precariously perched on the railing, in a predictable yet reckless move on her part.

"It's dangerously high, milady. You could fall and hurt yourself. Please get down off the railing."

"I won't, don't worry. Besides, I like heights." She was swinging her feet back and forth as she sat—once again, her feet were bare.

"The railing will be slippery with all this rain, and your grip will be loosened. I implore you, please come down off the railing."

"It almost sounds like you want me to jump," she replied with a grin.

"No, milady."

"You keep saying to come down off the railing…"

"I am confident that in your intelligence, you understand my meaning."

"I wonder if you would be able to catch me if I fell."

"I could, milady, but I would rather not put you in any more danger than you are currently in." Sebastian's voice was strained with irritation. "Please get down off the railing."

"Everyone in this house is so paranoid about me falling. I'll be fine, I've got great balance."

Meirin suddenly opened the door to the balcony, loudly exclaiming "Kendall!" in surprise. This startled Kendall so badly that her grip on the balcony railing slipped, and she fell forward with a shriek of terror.

Moments later, she opened her eyes once again, which had closed in fear during her fall. However, that terrifying drop had ended with a soft landing rather than a hard smack against the ground, and she didn't hurt anywhere. Sebastian had indeed caught her like he'd said he would, and was now carrying her bridal-style. "I warned you," he said, a faint hint of smugness in his voice.

"…Thank you. You may put me down now," she replied, clearly making no effort to hide the annoyance in her voice.

"Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, please put me down."

"Are you sure you're all right, milady? That was a nasty fall, and the jolt even from being caught might have jarred something…"

"I'm fine! Put me down!" She started squirming, and Sebastian finally put her back on her own two feet. Moments later, Meirin, Finny, and Bard came running—Meirin and Bard from inside the house, and Finny from elsewhere in the mansion's grounds.

"Kendall! Are you okay?" Meirin fretted, wringing her hands. "I saw you fall and I was right terrified, yes I was!"

"I heard a scream from in the kitchen," Bard grunted. "What'd you fall off, kiddo?"

"I saw you drop from the balcony while I was in the garden!" Finny piped up, big eyes anxious.

"I'm fine," she assured them, smoothing out her soaking wet skirts. "Sebastian caught me." She couldn't deny what the guy had done, after all, no matter _how_ much she didn't like him.

"Ohhh, you're okay!" Finny replied happily, squeezing Kendall into a hug with an unusual amount of force.

"Finny, I can't breathe," Kendall gasped quickly, and he abruptly let go, apologizing profusely. Her sides were sore; it felt like he'd nearly cracked one of her ribs. After assuring him that she was all right, Meirin made a suggestion, shivering a bit seeing as they were all soaked to the bone.

"We ought to go back inside, before Kendall catches a cold," she said anxiously.

"Good idea," Bard said with a nod. Finny nodded as well.

"Would you like a cup of tea to warm you back up and settle your nerves, Lady Kendall?" Sebastian asked, beginning to go back into the mansion with long strides.

"Actually, do you have hot chocolate?" Kendall asked, following him without complaint. After a while, being out in the rain did get kind of old…and she was chilly with all these dripping wet skirts clinging to her legs.

"Of course," Sebastian replied, a smile twitching at his lips. "It's interesting, I don't recall making hot chocolate for the Young Master in a very long time," he mused quietly, opening the door for her to go back inside.

"Really? You would think he would drink it all the time," she said, raising an eyebrow.

"The Young Master prefers tea."

"I like tea too, but honestly, hot chocolate is better. Chocolate in general is better." Kendall sneezed rather loudly then, looking surprised at herself.

"I hope you are not catching a cold," Sebastian said, quirking an eyebrow at her. "It would be wise to go change into some dry clothes."

"Probably." Kendall hurried up the stairs, and Sebastian chuckled as he heard another mild shouting match between her and Kayla. Those two were always at each other's throats, but it seemed that Kayla wasn't very good at keeping track of her young charge to prevent her from doing the things that made her angry. He also seemed rather amused by the fact that she hadn't been too stubborn about coming inside. Perhaps she wasn't as rude and headstrong as he'd taken her to be at first.


	7. Chapter 7 That Infuriating Girl

Kendall came down once again in a fresh change of clothes, this time a dark red dress with white lace and black ribbons and highlights here and there. That color actually looked rather good on her, in contrast to the pastel colors Kayla apparently liked to make her wear.

Ciel was sitting at the dining table, munching on a slice of fancy-looking cake. He glanced up at her as she came in, and he gestured to a seat at the end of the long, rectangular table.

Kendall looked about to sit down, but she frowned and moved over to a seat on the side next to Ciel. "I can hardly see you from over there, let alone have a decent conversation," she said, sitting herself down next to him with a cheery smile. Ciel raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything as he continued eating his cake.

Sebastian entered moments later, carrying an ornate china plate with hot chocolate and a neatly folded napkin. "That's a lovely color on you," he complimented, as was his job as a butler.

"Thank you," she said, looking a bit sheepish. "It's the last dry one I have left…all the others are completely soaked."

A sarcastic chuckle escaped Ciel's mouth as he looked at her in amusement. "What have you been _doing_ to get all your dresses soaked?"

"Um, well, let's see…" Kendall began counting on her fingers. "I was out picking apples with Finny, but that was my nightgown, not a dress…I was exploring the garden, and Kayla caught me on that one…I fell off the balcony because the rain made the railing slippery…"

Sebastian didn't recall the garden-exploring incident. Perhaps Kayla was less incompetent than he'd thought, but be that as it may, Kendall had still managed to fall off a balcony to her (near) death or injury.

"You fell off a balcony?" Ciel asked, less with a concerned voice and more with a bemused one. "Someone caught you, I assume."

Kendall nodded. "Sebastian did." She took a sip of the hot chocolate, and her eyes widened. "This is the most delicious hot chocolate I've ever had!" she declared with a grin, taking another sip.

"Sebastian's sweets are the best." Ciel continued eating his cake.

Sebastian smiled and bowed, hand on his chest. "I'll leave you two to your conversation," he said, exiting the room swiftly.

"So, Ciel," Kendall said, sipping at her hot chocolate again, "what was that letter from the Queen about?"

"Just a series of mu"—He stopped himself, reddening a little when he realized he'd nearly given it away. Kendall was grinning that freaky Cheshire-Cat-esque grin again.

"Ah, I was so close," she teased.

"Nice try," he huffed. "I'm not empty-headed."

"I know that," she said, rolling her eyes. "A thirteen-year-old boy wouldn't be able to run a toy company if he were a moron, let alone buy one off a grown man." Bitterness was evident in her voice, but Ciel didn't seem to care; that is, if he'd even noticed it.

"You don't seem so stupid either," he said grudgingly, finishing his cake and setting down his fork.

"I read a lot," she said with a shrug. "It's a good source of entertainment and I learn things from it. At least I don't spend my time gushing over pretty dresses or obsessing over my appearance or shoe shopping for hours on end…I don't know _how_ people can stand that."

Ciel had to smirk at the thought of Elizabeth, who had been perfectly but inadvertently described by Kendall. This Kendall girl was exactly what his fiancée was not; independent and much like a boy. It was very refreshing to have that kind of a girl around, even though she was a bit of a pain and way too curious for her own good, not to mention just plain strange. The interesting thing, though, was that Kendall didn't put up a façade of ladylike-ness when it was clear she wasn't ladylike at all. She was blunt, to the point, and completely honest about herself. As far as Ciel knew, anyway. The letter from the Queen was definitely something to consider. Knowing the secret suspicions the Queen had about her family, he couldn't judge Kendall until he knew the truth.

He blinked as a hand waved back and forth in front of his eyes. "Hellooo? Earth to Ciel?" Kendall asked, a bemused smile on her face. "You zoned out completely. What's on your mind?"

"Nothing," he said dismissively.

"I'm sure," she said skeptically, raising an eyebrow at him. "Trust me, I know when someone's thinking about something, and the gears in your head were turning rapidly just now."

"I wasn't thinking about anything," he replied swiftly, narrowing his eyes at her.

"All right, all right, I get it," she said, raising her hands in a mock-surrender pose. "You're still irritated because I stole your letter."

"That letter contained confidential information," he replied coldly. "It's very suspicious that you stole it."

"I didn't get to read any more of it than what I said out loud," she replied, hoping her lie wasn't evident. She wasn't the greatest liar, for sure. "I was just messing around."

"And you certainly could have made a mess of things if you'd read the letter." He sounded even more irritated.

"See, now you're making me curious as to what was on the letter."

"It's too late, I've burned it."

"How disappointing." She actually did sound disappointed.

"I'm sure." He whirled around to exit the dining room, gritting his teeth. This girl was infuriating—she didn't seem to take him seriously at all. She was treating him more like a kid than an adult, which he was more accustomed to.

_By the way, thank you to all the readers who review/fave/alert this! I appreciate it, and it gives me encouragement. ^^ Any respectful critique you might have would be good too if there's anything you can think of (although I do adore getting compliments too x3_).

_~Areida_


	8. Chapter 8 The Paper Scandal

Ciel entered his study and slammed the door, sighing and sitting down at his desk. He pulled out a pen and ink and reached down into a drawer to get a piece of scrap paper—but he found the drawer empty. He frowned and called for Sebastian, who was there in an instant.

"Yes, my lord?" Sebastian asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Why is there no paper in my desk drawer?" Ciel demanded, gesturing toward the empty drawer. "I thought I told you to pick up more paper yesterday."

"I did pick up more paper," Sebastian replied in surprise, leaning over and frowning at the empty drawer. "I remember fetching it; it was difficult to keep dry in the rain…" He stood back up to his full height. "I'm terribly sorry, my lord. I'll go purchase more immediately." The butler exited the room, puzzling over who might have taken the paper.

Ciel was stuck on the same mystery, and finally he stood up. He couldn't write his response to the Queen without paper anyway, so he might as well see whether he could find out who took it.

Ciel made his way through the house, questioning each of the servants as to whether they'd taken the paper from his desk drawer. All said that they hadn't taken it and had no idea where it was, which infuriated an already-irritable Ciel.

"That does it," he muttered, pacing in his study. "Who could have taken the"—he stopped. "…Of course," he growled, leaving the study and making his way to Lady Kendall's room. It all made sense; she knew where his study was, and she would have easily been able to find the paper. What would she be using it for, though? Had she just been snooping around for the letter and found blank paper instead?

He opened the door to her room, shaking his head slightly at the sight of all the dresses and the nightgown hanging up to dry indoors, since the rain outside hadn't relented. He paused at one of the bureaus and noticed the corner of a piece of paper sticking out of the top drawer. With a triumphant smirk, he slid open the drawer, and found the paper sitting in a messy pile inside.

However, it hadn't been written on, nor had it been left plain like it was originally. The papers, every single one of them, were filled with drawings in graphite. On the top of the stack, Ciel found himself looking at an uncanny likeness of his own face, which wore an uncharacteristic smile. His actual face's frown decreased as he looked through the rest of the drawer in wonder; there was Sebastian, Meirin, Bard, Finny, and even a couple repeat sketches, quite a few of them being sketches of Ciel. Kayla was in there once or twice, as was a depiction of Sebastian reprimanding someone in a tree—at closer inspection, that someone was Lady Kendall. He kept looking through the papers, astonished at the skill he saw in the drawings. "How could she have done this much in such a short time?" he wondered aloud.

"Hey!" came a surprised voice from the doorway. Ciel's head snapped up to see a red-faced Lady Kendall standing in the doorway. "Are you snooping through my"—her eyes saw the pictures in his hands and she flushed an even darker red. "Give those back!" she demanded, storming over and snatching the pictures out of his hands. "Get out of my room!" she added, shoving him roughly by the shoulder. Ciel stumbled a few steps, surprised at her anger.

"I was just looking," he replied in surprise, blinking a couple times at her sudden hostility. It had thrown him off-guard. "They're really good"—

"Get OUT!" she repeated, more forcefully this time. Ciel quickly left her room, and she slammed the door after him.

"…What did I do?" he asked the empty hallway as he stared at the door, not expecting Sebastian's answer.

"She likely feels that you invaded her personal privacy," he replied. "You were, after all, looking through drawers in her room without her permission. Many girls would be insulted by that. I believe another apology is due."

"Another one? I'm not writing another letter to that immature, overprotective, nosy…" He couldn't seem to find a word better than "…girl!"

Sebastian smirked. "I actually had a face-to-face apology in mind, my lord. A letter would be rather ludicrous, considering you're in the same house."

Ciel shook his head. "No," he said firmly, turning around and storming back off to his office. "There'd better be paper in that drawer by the time I get there!" he warned his butler over his shoulder.


	9. Chapter 9 Still Stuck

The rain had started to lighten up the next morning, but unfortunately, Lady Kendall had apparently come down with a cold. She kept sneezing and coughing, and eventually Kayla sentenced her to bed rest with Meirin standing guard at the door. After a series of halfhearted complaints from Kendall and a few failed attempts to escape, she gave up and sulked in bed.

After about a half an hour of trying and failing to sleep it off, Kendall got up and pulled a few more blank pieces of paper out of her drawer. Out of a hidden pocket in her suitcase came a pencil, and she began sketching, not even quite sure what it was that she was drawing in the beginning. Eventually, the sketch took form, and it turned into yet another picture of Ciel. He had a happy expression on his face, and it almost seemed like he would start laughing at any moment, coming to life on the page. A slight smile twitched at Kendall's lips as she drew.

Suddenly, Ciel himself burst into the guest room, closing the door behind him swiftly. He was panting and it looked like he was running from someone. "Stupid girl," he muttered, slumping down against the door. He blinked a few times as he registered his guest before him. "Oh. I forgot you were in here."

"Oh, and_ I'm_ stupid," she replied irritably, putting the drawing behind her quickly so he wouldn't see it. It was bad enough that he'd already seen the rest of her drawings.

"Not you," Ciel muttered. "Elizabeth. Lizzy. My fiancée. As soon as the rain lightened up she insisted on coming to visit and she's being…" He couldn't find the right word. "Being Lizzy."

"And you're in here why?"

"Best place to hide from her." He stood up, glancing at Kendall with a raised eyebrow. "Why aren't you out causing trouble and falling out of things?"

"If you must know, I'm sick, and my father insists on staying until I get better." She coughed a couple times, making a face when her short bout was over. "Ow," she complained, rubbing at her throat.

"Are you contagious?" Ciel looked concerned, like he was suddenly afraid to breathe. He was concerned for his own health more than anything else, though. He was already asthmatic, and a cold would only give him adverse affects.

"How should I know?" She heard the sound of footsteps approaching. "There's plenty of space to hide under the bed," she informed him innocently, pulling back out her pencil and paper so as to appear natural.

Ciel looked about to protest, but the footsteps were accompanied by a loud, obnoxious "CIIIIIIIIIIEL? WHERE ARE YOUUUU?" and he decided not to argue. Under the bed he dove, hoping Lizzy would have the decency to leave when she saw there was a guest in the room.

The door opened to a girl with curly blonde pigtails and a red and pink dress with flowers and lace and little white gloves. Kendall already looked slightly nauseated by her girly, proper manner…and she hadn't even exchanged one word with the girl yet. At least her nauseated expression wasn't out of place in her situation; she _was_ sick, after all.

"Oh! Who's this?" Lizzy asked Sebastian, who was grudgingly being dragged around with the marchioness's daughter. Whilst in a pink bonnet. Kendall tried not to laugh outright.

"I'm Lady Kendall. I came to visit before the storm started, and got stuck here because of the rain," she explained politely. "And your name is? I'd get up and greet you properly, but I have a cold, and I don't want to get you sick."

"I'm Lady Elizabeth, Ciel's fiancée," she explained with a curtsy. "I guess he wouldn't be in here then…CIIIIIIIIIIIIEL!" she called, whirling around and scurrying down the hall.

"I suggest you get some more rest while you can," Sebastian told Kendall, already looking exhausted with this overly loud, hyper girl.

As the door closed, Kendall leaned over and lifted one side of the covers to give Ciel some light. "You can come out now."

Ciel crawled his way out, muttering something obscene under his breath and brushing himself off. "There's a mess of dust down there," he complained.

"Quit complaining," Kendall said, rolling her eyes and reaching over to help get the dust out of his already-greyish hair. "At least you didn't have to deal with her. She's quite a handful, isn't she?"

"You have no idea," Ciel replied.

"That's why I'm never letting my parents choose who I'm marrying," Kendall said with a sigh, sitting back against a pillow. "If they try, I'm gone."

"You would run away?" Ciel sounded highly surprised.

"I don't like anyone controlling my life for me." She sounded so sure of herself. "Besides, it's not like I'm overly dependent on Kayla or any of the servants. I'd be perfectly fine on my own."

Ciel had to admire this girl's courage and confidence. Without Sebastian, he was helpless and he knew it, as much as he hated admitting it to himself or anyone else. But, of course, that notion was silly. He would always have Sebastian, so thinking about what life would be like without him was ridiculous and a complete waste of time.

"You're zoning out again," Kendall said, going back to her sketch and forgetting that she hadn't wanted him to see it.

Ciel snapped out of his reverie, leaning over to peek at her picture. She didn't notice for a moment, and he got a good look at it before she flipped it over. "Quit snooping on my drawings," she accused.

"Why don't you want me to see them?" he asked.

"I don't like _anyone_ seeing them," she replied, going into a brief coughing fit. "They're my drawings, they're personal."

"It's not like you wrote down all your deepest darkest secrets," Ciel said with a roll of his eyes…although he did wonder why she insisted on drawing depictions of him so much.

"I did, though. My art is like a picture diary. It's my thoughts put into pictures."

"Why do you keep thinking about me smiling, then?" he asked, crossing his arms suspiciously.

Her cheeks reddened. "I like challenging myself to draw things I haven't seen," she muttered. "Don't jump to conclusions." She glanced back up at him. "Besides, your eye patch makes you an interesting subject. Your hair is pretty interesting, too…the color, I mean."

Ciel raised an eyebrow at her.

"I'm just looking at this from an artist's perspective," Kendall said, raising her hands in mock surrender. "Like I said, don't jump to conclusions." However, it almost looked like she was hiding something as well. Ciel had become suspicious, and she seemed to realize this, for she frowned at him and crossed her arms. "Are you just going to hang around here until Elizabeth leaves, or are you planning to move from hiding spot to hiding spot?"

"I'll probably just stay here, actually. You being sick and all, she probably won't come back." He ran a hand through his apparently-interesting hair.

"All right then, but if you get sick don't blame me." Kendall got up to put the drawing in the drawer with the rest of them, placing her pencil on the bureau. She slid back under the blankets with a sigh. "I'm under room arrest; Kayla will have a fit if I leave. So I guess you're stuck with me." She went into another bout of coughing, gasping for breath when it was done.

"Are you sure it's just a cold?" Ciel asked, raising an eyebrow at her skeptically. "You sound terrible."

"Thanks," she replied sarcastically. "I'm sure, though. I mean, what else could it be?" Another cough escaped her.

"It could be any number of things," he said skeptically. "You're coughing pretty badly."

"Whatever it is, I'll be over it in a day or two, and then I can go home." There was some hesitation in her voice.

A chuckle came from the corner; Sebastian had appeared quietly without either of them noticing, still wearing the ridiculous, horrid pink bonnet. "My lord, I hope you are not attempting to get sick so you won't have to speak to Lady Elizabeth…"

"Is she with you?" Ciel tensed like he was ready to dive back under the bed.

"Lady Elizabeth is currently occupied decorating the mansion, my lord, although she is rather put off by your sudden disappearance," Sebastian said, amid a dreading groan from Ciel. "I simply came to bring Lady Kendall some flavored ice to soothe her throat." He handed a small bowl to Kendall, who thanked him and began eating.

"It's delicious, and it feels good on my throat," she said with a smile. "You're a good cook, aren't you, Sebastian?"

"I would like to think that my cooking is at a level at which your compliment is deserved. That is an old recipe I acquired from my time in Italy," he said with a bow. "Thank you. And, my lord," he added, glancing over at Ciel, "I suggest you figure out a way to convince Lady Elizabeth to head homeward. She seems rather determined to find you." He vanished out of the room, closing the door behind him as his footsteps vanished down the hall.

"…Got any ideas?" Ciel asked Kendall, who was practically beaming with mischief.

"Always."


	10. Chapter 10 The Headless Horseman

"This is never going to work," Ciel grumbled.

"Of course it is. You just have to deal with it long enough to get Elizabeth out of your house." Kendall was lacing up a pair of riding boots that were at least three sizes too big for her. Ciel had taken some convincing to let her do so, but he'd snuck back into his own room and loaned her a shirt and a pair of black shorts, which she was now wearing instead of her nightgown. "I'm great with animals; this won't be a problem at all."

"It smells in here," he complained, looking around the stable with a wrinkled nose.

"Really? It's just the smell of horse, Ciel. I kind of like it," Kendall said, shrugging. "You'll get used to it anyway."

A girl of about their age with straight, dirty blonde hair and rectangle-framed glasses led a black horse out from a stable. "Will this one work?" she asked, tilting her head at the pair and their odd request.

"Perfect! A black horse just adds to the image," Kendall said with a grin. "What was your name, by the way?"

"Laura," the stable-girl said, shaking Kendall's hand when it was offered to her. "You're not gonna rat me out for this, are you?"

"Of course not," Kendall said, waving a hand in the air.

"All right then." Laura grinned, a mischievous grin enough to rival Kendall's. "Whenever that Elizabeth girl comes to visit, the horses get antsy because of that voice of hers…" she explained. "Consider this your own little revenge, Lawrent," she said, patting the horse's flank. The horse snorted and stomped its feet.

"Do you have anything like a cape?" Kendall asked. "Something that could hide you completely while you're riding?"

"Oh, sure." Laura climbed up a small wooden ladder into the top level, near the rafters, where the workers in the stable had their bunks. Off a hook on the wall she took a black cloak, tossing it down. "Is that what you had in mind?"

"It'll do nicely," Kendall said mischievously. She wrapped the cloak around herself. It reached all the way down to the floor and had some extra fabric dragging on the ground. "At least it'll make me look taller when I'm on the horse," she said, nodding. "Now I have another weird request…Do you have a pumpkin?"

Laura looked rather doubtful. "We might…I think Finny would be a better person to ask about that…"

"We don't have the time or ability to ask Finny," Ciel interjected. "He's busy dealing with Lizzy right now. We had enough difficulty trying to find a safe way out of the mansion without being caught."

"…I'll go check, but no promises." Laura moved out into the back of the stable, toward where there was a small vegetable garden. Hey, there was plenty of fertilizer available for free at a stable; of course there was a nearby garden. A few moments later, she returned with a large iron pot, the kind used for cooking. "Pumpkins aren't in season. Will this work?"

"I guess so." Kendall glanced over at the horse. "What was its name? Lawrent?"

"Yup. He's a little wild, though," Laura warned.

"Hello there, Lawrent," she said cheerily to the horse, stroking his nose for a moment. Kendall fearlessly hopped up onto his back, and he snorted and impatiently stomped his hooves, tossing his head. She stroked his neck, and he calmed back down. "Hey, Ciel, pass me the pot, will you?" Kendall asked, pulling the cloak up so that it clasped over her head, hiding her entire body from view. Ciel passed it up, and Kendall took the pot and set it atop her head. Ciel rolled his eyes.

"This is never going to work," he stated.

"Don't be such a pessimist, this will work perfectly." Kendall's voice was a little muffled by the cloak. "Now, Ciel, you have to get Lizzy outside somehow. I dunno, say you want to…look at the sunset. It's getting dark out anyway, and girls love that stuff." She peeked out through the space between the folds of the cloak, once again wearing that Cheshire-Cat-esque grin. "And then the Headless Horseman will scare her silly."

"More like the Pot-headed Horseman," Laura interjected with a giggle. This sent Kendall and Laura into a huge laughing fit. The pot nearly fell off its precarious perch on top of Kendall's head as she gasped for breath. **A/N: I know that humor's a little ahead of the Victorian era, but I just couldn't resist. Forgive me, history!**

Ciel rolled his eyes and sighed. "Quit laughing, you'll start coughing again. Oh, and if this doesn't work, I'm blaming you for it," he informed her, heading out of the stable and toward the mansion.

Kendall followed out on the horse quietly, sticking to a shadowy area near the stable. She could hear Lizzy's squeal when she finally found Ciel, and soon she saw the two exiting the mansion, Lizzy hanging off Ciel's arm. It irritated Kendall, possibly more than it should have.

Kendall clicked her tongue quietly to get Lawrent walking, and the horse started forward. She spurred him onward, and he started galloping recklessly. Lizzy and Ciel watched the approaching horseman, Ciel with a doubtful expression and Lizzy with curiosity and confusion. Kendall yanked on the reins to stop Lawrent directly in front of the mansion, at the same time letting out a massive and unexpected coughing fit, doubling over as she did so. The pot fell off her head and landed with a loud clang on the ground, accompanied by Lizzy's terrified scream at the 'Headless Horseman'.

Unfortunately, all the noise and the falling pot spooked Lawrent, and he reared up on his hind legs with a loud whinny. It was a dramatic scene, for sure, silhouetted against the setting sun, but Kendall wasn't a professional rider. She slid off the back of the horse and landed rather painfully on the ground on her left side with a loud crack; the cobblestone drive wasn't a very forgiving place to land in any case. Ciel had told Lizzy to 'run and he'll take care of this', and for once she'd listened without protest; she was already in her carriage and it was starting to pull away. Apparently, Lizzy's overbearing manner didn't extend to clinging to Ciel with a headless horseman around. Lawrent had taken off back toward the stable now that his rider was on the ground, neighing loudly as he did so.

Seeing that the coast was clear, Ciel hurried over to Kendall, pulling the cloak away from her face. He was surprised to see a grimace and a pained expression, and tears starting in her eyes, which were shut tightly in agony. "I landed on my arm," she whimpered in a strained voice, curled up on her side and trying to roll off the injured arm. "It hurts…"

"Sebastian!" Ciel shouted. The butler appeared in moments, carefully helping her sit up and removing the cloak from around her so he could take a better look.

"I do believe it's broken," he said, reaching down and gently picking up the now-crying Lady Kendall. "I'll alert the nearest doctor."


	11. Chapter 11 Personal Feelings

Kendall was once again lying in bed, a brooding, moody expression on her face. She was staring off into space, not occupying herself with anything like she usually was. Ciel knocked gently on the door and peeked inside.

She smiled brightly at him, as if her arm wasn't currently in a sling on top of the fact she was sick. "Good morning." She had bags under her eyes, as if she hadn't slept much. "Do you need something?"

"Are you all right, Lady Kendall?" he asked, standing awkwardly in the middle of the room.

"Doctor said it's broken," she replied with a sigh, slumping down against a pillow. Her smile had vanished. "And he said that if I get out of bed at all it'll be messed up and heal crooked." She coughed a couple times.

"Oh." He sat on the edge of the bed. "Why aren't you drawing?" he asked after a moment, noticing the unusual lack of a pencil and paper in her hand. "Or are you, and you just hid it from me?"

Kendall gave him a baleful look. "I broke my _left_ arm, Ciel."

"I know that. So what?"

She continued when she saw his blank expression. "I'm left-handed."

"…Oh. I guess you really can't, then."

"Nope." A rather depressed expression crossed her face. "No drawing for a few weeks. I don't know if I'll be able to bear it."

"I warned you," Ciel said with an 'I-told-you-so' tone.

"Hush," she said, sticking out her tongue at him, reminding Ciel of her childishness. "It got Lizzy out of your house, didn't it? Oh, by the way, the clothes I borrowed from you are over there," she said, nodding at a chair, on which the shorts and the shirt were folded and stacked.

"I'll have Sebastian come get them in a bit." He ran a hand through his hair with a sigh.

"Mmkay." There was a long pause, during which both of them looked around the room at anything but each other. The silence was mercifully broken by a loud bout of coughs from Kendall.

"Are you sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine," Kendall said, rubbing at her throat. "It just hurts."

"If it hurts, then you're not fine. You want me to have Sebastian bring more of that flavored ice?"

"I don't want to bug him about it," she said, shaking her head.

"He's a butler, it's his job."

"I don't want to bug him about it," she repeated.

Ciel began thinking, staring at Kendall with an intrigued expression on his face. If what the Queen suspected was true, then Kendall must not have been aware of it, much less a part of it. How could she be? She was such a happy, carefree girl, who seemed to care more about the servants than the average girl her age, and was always attempting to bring smiles to people's faces. Her slightly childish manner just screamed innocence. It had to be just her father. Or maybe it wasn't her father either, and the Queen's suspicions were just wrong, plain and simple. After all, such a girl wouldn't have been raised by a murderer, right?

He then caught himself. Was he letting personal feelings cloud his judgment, his case-solving abilities? He didn't have any personal feelings about it…Or did he? The Queen usually wasn't wrong…but…He just couldn't believe that her family would be involved in such a thing. It was incomprehensible. That would have been like telling Ciel that Sebastian's favorite hobby was throwing eggs at people. It just didn't fit.

"You keep doing that," Kendall commented, drawing Ciel back into the real world.

"Doing what?" he asked, a bit out of sync with the world now.

"Staring at something and zoning out. And it's even weirder when the thing you're staring at is me." Kendall tilted her head at Ciel, looking back at him with green eyes. "What could you possibly be thinking about that makes you stare like that?" A couple coughs escaped her throat, but they didn't seem as bad as they had been before. It almost seemed like he wasn't looking at her, but _through_ her with that bright blue eye of his. Kendall vaguely wondered once more what the eye patch was meant to conceal; it was a shame that the other blue eye that must have been underneath was being hidden from the world. He had very pretty eyes.

"Just…things," he said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Want me to keep you company for a while? It has to be boring, sitting here with nothing to do."

"If you don't mind," she said with a grateful smile. "I was about ready to lose my mind and start talking to myself. Although I already talk to myself on occasion, when there's no one better to talk to."

"Talking to yourself is good, because you're finally getting some intelligent conversation," Ciel said with a smirk.

"Nice one," Kendall said with a grin.

Sebastian opened the door, another bowl of the flavored ice in his hand. Either it was pure chance or he was a mind-reader. He smirked and handed the bowl to Kendall.

"What's so funny?" Ciel asked him, a hint of a defensive tone in his voice.

"It is simply an unusual sight to see you so willing to interact with a guest like this. Do you need anything else, milady?" Kendall shook her head. With that, Sebastian left the room.

Kendall glanced over at Ciel and didn't miss the hint of a pink blush starting on his cheeks. "You're blushing," she pointed out matter-of-factly, a smile twitching at her lips.

"I most certainly am not," he said, forcing the pinkness in his cheeks to go away.

"Yes you were."

"I was not."

"Were too."

"You're such a child."

"I've been told." A contented smile crossed her face. "I think growing up would be the biggest disappointment of my whole life."

"Growing up is a part of what we're meant to do. We live, we die, and we hope that in our lives we've done all we aimed to do. The lucky ones leave a mark on the world, and the rest just vanish and are never thought of again."

"That's a depressing way to look at it." Kendall frowned a bit. "I think everyone leaves a mark, but it all depends on what kind of a mark you left. A permanent one, a temporary one, or a negative one. Even leaving a temporary mark changed something in the world."

"You're unrealistic. Not everyone will leave a mark on the world, good or bad. Lots of people just float neutrally through life and then die without a trace," he argued.

"You're pessimistic," she observed.

"No, I'm realistic."

"Realism and pessimism is the same thing, because the real world is pessimistic." She leaned back. "I prefer to live in my own little dreamland where everything turns out okay in the end."

"You'll be shell-shocked when you get dragged back into the real world someday." Ciel sounded rather surprised by this girl's adamancy in her own views; once again, he was having a debate with her over something she wasn't budging on.

"I won't let myself be dragged back in, then. You sound a lot like my mother…she's always telling me to be more realistic. My dad's more like me in that sense…probably part of the reason the company failed. He's a dreamer, like me." Kendall folded her non-broken arm behind her head. "I would be terrible at running a company on my own."

The door opened and Sebastian was there once again. "My lord, I am saddened that I must interrupt your discussion with Lady Kendall, but it is time for your violin lesson."

A frown crossed Ciel's face, but he stood up and headed for the door.

"Talk to you later, Ciel," Kendall said cheerfully.

"Talk to you later." A miniscule, microscopic, nearly invisible smile twitched at his lips as he left the room.

Kendall noticed it and grinned as he left, snuggling down into the blankets and closing her eyes.


	12. Chapter 12 Suspicious Actions

"Where's my violin?" Ciel asked, glancing around his study. Had Sebastian forgotten it even though this was a violin lesson? Impossible, Sebastian wasn't forgetful. The music stand and the sheet music were missing as well.

"We have something we must discuss," Sebastian said, gesturing to Ciel's chair. Ciel scowled.

"I thought I ordered you never to lie to me."

"I did not lie, my lord. I merely said it was time for your violin lesson, and indeed it is. However, the lesson shall be replaced by a discussion today." Sebastian pulled out Ciel's chair for him, and the young boy sat irritably, seeming slightly ashamed that he'd fallen for that.

"What do you want, then?" He rested his chin on his hand.

Sebastian smirked. "My lord, it has come to my attention that there is the small possibility you might have feelings for this Lady Kendall, small and undeveloped as they may be, and it concerns me."

Ciel's face reddened. "Ridiculous. I'm getting closer to her to find out more information about her father. That is all."

"You're getting unusually personal with your subtle investigation, then," Sebastian replied, that incurable smirk on his face growing.

"Shut up, Sebastian," he muttered with unusual rudeness. "She's not like most of the people we investigate."

"I realize that, and it is part of the reason for my concern." The change in mannerisms wasn't left unnoticed by the butler.

"There's nothing to be concerned about. As soon as she trusts me enough, she'll start talking a bit more openly about her parents, and then we'll have the information we need to solve this case and get on with life."

"If you insist, my lord. However, I must say that the actions of Lord Atkins have been a bit suspicious the past few days."

Ciel sat up straighter. He hadn't seen Lord Atkins for essentially the entire time he and his daughter had begun staying here…and admittedly, he hadn't paid much attention due to Lady Kendall's constant activity. "What do you mean, suspicious?"

"During the rain, he stayed inside his room constantly, and as soon as it let up enough for him to travel he's been going to town daily and has never come home before midnight. As soon as the rain ceased, the murders have resumed, as well. One for each day Lord Atkins has been out. All occurred in the correct timeframe for him to have committed them, as well." Sebastian set detailed notes on Ciel's desk.

Ciel picked up the notes and looked at them warily, almost seeming like he didn't even want to try to read them. "Are you sure about this?"

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "It is not usual for you to doubt my information even for a moment, my lord. Are you positive your personal feelings aren't affecting your skills as a detective?"

"I'm positive. You're overreacting." Ciel waved Sebastian out of the room, looking down at the notes in his hand. He had to admit, it was incriminating and suspicious. But that also meant that Lady Kendall couldn't have done anything; she'd gotten sick and injured before the rain had let up, and even if her father was the criminal, she couldn't have been an accomplice. A wave of relief crossed his mind, and he was able to focus better on the notes in his hands. For a moment, a little voice in his head questioned why he was so relieved it was impossible for Lady Kendall to be the culprit, but he ignored the little voice and read the notes.

There was no doubt about it; Lord Atkins was certainly suspicious. There was no solid proof yet, but certainly quite a lot of implications. "There's still a chance, though," Ciel mumbled, putting down the notes and leaning forward, propping his elbows on his desk and rubbing his temples. Now he had nothing to consider except his feelings, and he was forced to mentally analyze the situation. He had Lizzy to think about, irritating as she might be, and his engagement, and his future, and the fact that Kendall was a direct relative to a suspect in a murder case. This whole mess was complicated and he didn't like the strange feelings it was giving him. They were old feelings he hadn't dug up in a while. He wasn't even sure whether they were actual feelings or whether they would go away in a few days and he would forget all about it. Somehow he got the odd sense that these feelings were deeply rooted in him, though, even after just under a fortnight or so.

Ciel finally stood up, ceasing the headache-inducing thoughts. The best thing to do at the moment was to investigate Lord Atkins's things and decide whether or not he was a likely culprit.

He knocked carefully on the door, but nobody was inside. Lord Atkins was probably in town, then…hopefully _not_ carrying out such an evil deed as murder. Ciel stepped inside. Lord Atkins's room was almost identical to Kendall's, and the only difference lay in the lack of wet dresses hanging everywhere and the fact that his suitcase was open on the ground rather than stowed beneath the bed. At least he didn't have to open it up to at least glance over it. Nothing too suspicious; just clothes, really, and a few photos which lay on top. Ciel bent down to see the pictures, and blinked a few times. It had taken a moment for him to recognize the young woman in one of the photos; it was Lady Kendall, in a proper dress with an expressionless face, obviously having been forced to pose for this portrait. She didn't look happy at all in that bright pink dress, with her hair curled and pinned on top of her head, but she was pretty in it nonetheless. She was more…beautiful, rather than cute like Lizzy. Still, it looked so unnatural to Ciel, after hardly ever seeing her dressed properly and never having seen her with her hair up. The lady in the other picture, he assumed, was Kendall's mother; she was nice-looking like her daughter, and they actually looked a lot alike. However, Kendall's mother had a more stern expression and looked far more comfortable in the light blue dress she was wearing, with small hairpins stuck throughout her hair. The differences in personality were even evident from photographs of the two.

Hearing approaching footsteps, Ciel hurriedly stood up and slid out of the room, strolling down the hallway nonchalantly toward the footsteps. It was Lord Atkins, running his fingers through his short, slightly greasy salt-and-pepper hair. His reddish-toned skin was flushed for some reason. "Oh, hello, Lord Phantomhive," he said in surprise, pausing where he stood.

"Good evening." Ciel breezed past the man casually. One thing was for sure: this investigation would continue whether he wanted it to or not.


	13. Chapter 13 Temporary GoodBye

Weeks had passed since Ciel's mini-investigation into Lord Atkins's room, and the same pattern had continued; murders for each day Lord Atkins was in town, and yet _still_ no proof that it was actually him. He still had no leads, nor did he have any way of coming with Lord Atkins or tailing him to see what he was doing whilst he was in town. The Queen was getting impatient—she'd sent him _another_ letter imploring him to catch the killer— and Ciel was running out of ideas. Not to mention the fact that Kendall's arm was healed and she'd gotten over her coughs. Today she was going back to her home, along with her father, and Ciel's ability to observe was being cut off as abruptly and unexpectedly as it had been given to him.

He opened the door to her room cautiously, glancing inside to see an empty bed and a packed suitcase sitting on the floor. She was already up and about, apparently. Where was she, then? After checking all throughout the mansion, Ciel decided that perhaps she was in the stable. She and Laura had seemed to hit it off well enough.

Indeed, she was in the stable, laughing hysterically with Laura.

"And then Bard says, 'Aw, I can ride a stinkin' horse. I been in the war, kiddo, horses ain't nothin' to a pro like me,'" Laura said through her giggles, telling a story. "And as soon as he gets on Teru, he just falls right off right as she starts cantering. Just SPLAT, right on his butt in a giant mud puddle that I already told him to watch out for." She and Kendall were sitting on overturned buckets next to each other. "His apron got filthy and he was SO mad, cursing and shaking his fist at the horse."

Kendall was giggling along, a hand covering her mouth. She'd put on a light green dress (likely at the insistence of Kayla), but she'd apparently taken a ribbon and tied it up so it wasn't dragging on the dirt in the stable. It now reached her knees in a nearly-scandalous way.

Ciel watched the two for a minute, a smirk twitching at his lips. Kendall was so easily amused. He'd known Laura for a little while—since she slept in the stable, he didn't know her _too_ well—and he knew she was a taunting jokester. She and Kendall apparently got along smashingly.

"Oh, hey Ciel," Laura said through her giggles. Kendall turned and smiled brightly.

"Good morning!" she said cheerfully. "Do you want to sit and chat? I think there's another bucket over there you can use as a chair," Kendall said, glancing around the room.

"I'm fine, thank you. Your father actually sent me to find you; you're leaving soon." There was a bit of a regretful tone in his voice, but it wasn't overstated and Ciel himself hardly seemed to notice.

"Aw!" Kendall looked highly disappointed, as did Laura. "Well, I guess I'll come to visit sometimes, then." A chipper smile crossed her face; now that she wasn't coughing and her arm was no longer in a sling, she had gotten far more cheery than before, if that were possible. She hopped up from her seat on the bucket, and Laura did the same. The two hugged each other, saying their goodbyes.

"I'll just be off then, I suppose," she said, turning and unexpectedly giving Ciel a hug as well. His face went bright red as she did so. "See you soon, I hope," she told Ciel lightheartedly, hurrying out of the stable.

Ciel cleared his throat and forced the blush in his cheeks to go down as soon as she was gone. Laura, however, hadn't been oblivious to his embarrassment, and decided to take full advantage of it. "Kendall and Ciii-el, sitting in a tree," she sang teasingly. "K-I-S-S-I-N"—

"Shut up," Ciel muttered, leaving the stable in a sudden, irritated huff and once again dropping his manners. Laura laughed and went back to tending the horses.

Kendall sat next to her father in the carriage, hands folded on her lap. Kayla was frowning at the skirt she'd tied up near her knees, but didn't want to argue with Kendall until her father was no longer present. The carriage began to move, and Kendall waved energetically out the window at Sebastian, Meirin, Finny, and Bard, who were standing outside the mansion. Ciel wasn't anywhere to be found, but she'd already said her goodbyes to him anyhow.

"Kendall," her father said, causing his daughter to turn to him curiously. "To celebrate the selling of our company, we're holding a formal dance, and I'm making the invitation list. Do you want to invite the Phantomhives?"

Kendall perked up. She hated dances, but she would see Ciel there if he could make it, and that in itself would be worth all the fussing and the makeup and the hair. "Yes, please," she replied with a smile.


	14. Chapter 14 Invitation

"A letter from Lady Kendall has arrived in the mail today among your other letters," Sebastian said, dropping a stack of mail on Ciel's desk with a knowing smile. Rolling his eyes at the butler's impertinence, Ciel picked up the envelope and opened it curiously, reading it over. A smile twitched at his lips, but didn't quite cross his face yet. "May I inquire as to what it says?" Sebastian asked with the most innocent of voices.

"It's an invitation, if you must know. The Atkins family is holding a formal dance to celebrate the selling of their company, and we're invited." Ciel put down the letter.

"Interesting," Sebastian said, bowing slightly. "Shall I ensure that your formal clothes are clean and unwrinkled?"

"Yes."

Sebastian went to leave. "However, a quick question, my lord," he said, turning around just as he was opening the door to go. "This is purely a decision made on business, correct? To observe Lord Atkins further?"

"Of course," Ciel said. Lying came to him easily, although it was a half-lie rather than a total one. Was it _purely_ for the sake of observing Lord Atkins? No, of course not. There was the factor of Lady Kendall to think about, after all. But it was partially the reason, and that was good enough justification for Ciel. He was still highly confused and slightly in denial about his feelings. Perhaps this dance would help straighten some of those things out.

Naturally, Sebastian didn't believe a word—he knew Ciel too well—but he bowed. "I was simply ensuring your motives, my lord. After all, what would become of this house if a Phantomhive servant didn't know something as simple as that?" Smirking, he left the room.

Ciel rolled his eyes. "Demons," he muttered in resignation, shaking his head.


	15. Chapter 15 Old Enemies

"Welcome to the Atkins manor," a doorman said, bowing as Ciel entered with Sebastian. Lizzy had, thankfully, been excluded from this party's invitation list (probably Kendall's work), but Ciel was still wearing the blue formal clothes she'd gotten for him, as ridiculous and flashy as they were. However, they were expensive and they looked it, and they were admittedly the best clothes he owned. Sebastian stood by him in his usual butler attire. No need for disguises here, thank GOD. If Ciel ever had to see that damned pink dress he'd worn for the Ripper case again, he might just scream.

He never would have expected to see it on the first person to come up and say hello.

"Ciel!" Lady Kendall said excitedly, hurrying over with fistfuls of pink fabric in her hands. Ciel gaped at her. It was the exact same dress Nina had designed as a disguise. Sebastian even looked like he was holding in a laugh, and having a hard time at it; he had to cover his mouth with a gloved hand.

"Good evening," Ciel managed at last, unable to take his eyes off the dress for a moment. Kendall didn't seem to notice either of their odd reactions.

"I'm so glad you could come," she replied, refraining from hugging him and settling with just a curtsy, which he automatically returned with a little bow. Oddly, Kendall kept glancing over toward the corner of the ballroom nervously, then perking up when she looked back at Ciel, then peeking back toward the corner. Ciel followed her gaze to see a crowd of people chatting with the tall, imposing woman he'd seen in the photos in Lord Atkins' room. It must have been her mother. She was a lovely lady even in the photo, but even more so in person. However, she didn't seem like the kind of woman you'd want to mess with, either.

"That's a lovely dress, Lady Kendall," Sebastian said, breaking both of them out of their respective reveries with a statement that was always a part of his job.

"Oh, thank you," Kendall said distractedly, refocusing on the current conversation. "My mother hired a designer to make this; I believe her name was Nina. She actually said it used to be for someone else, but they never wore it, so we got quite the bargain since it was already made." She lowered her voice. "Don't tell my mother I said that, though, or she'll skin me alive." A smile crossed her face at the joke, although, judging by her mother's expression and posture, it might not have been too drastic of an exaggeration.

Mentally, Ciel cursed Nina's idiocy. Selling that very same dress to someone else; what on earth was she thinking? Now Ciel was going to have to deal with flashbacks to the Ripper case and the Viscount's perverted behavior all night long. Hadn't he told Nina to burn that dress?

"Um, so are you hungry?" Kendall asked, once again busting Ciel out of his daydream. "There's a table with hors d'ouvres set out if you like."

"Oh, yes, of course," Ciel replied with a half-smile.

"All right, it's this way," Kendall said brightly, picking up her skirts and trotting off once again. Ciel actually had quite a time trying to keep up with her fast pace. A few people were staring, but he ignored them completely. Kendall somehow always managed to be a head-turner no matter where she was or what she was doing, so he didn't think much of it. "Here, you can have whatever you like," Kendall said, taking some of the small chocolate-raspberry tarts for herself.

Ciel took some food without knowing what it was or tasting it, still distracted by the dress. Then his thoughts were broken by someone approaching them, someone he vaguely recognized, probably from one of his own parties somewhere.

"Would you care to dance?" the boy asked Kendall, a charming smile on his face. He looked nice enough; neatly cut sandy blonde hair, nice clothes, an overall decent guy who didn't—at first glance—have any shady intentions. So why did Ciel's blood boil like that when the question came from his mouth?

"No thank you," Kendall said politely and without hesitation. "My feet hurt rather badly." The boy turned away with a rather put off expression and headed off across the room.

Ciel blinked. With the way she was scurrying around, there was no way her feet were hurting. She wasn't even standing in a position that would nurse injured feet, nor was she sitting in one of the nearby chairs. Kendall seemed to notice his confusion, for she leaned over and whispered, "I can't dance to save my life," rather confidentially.

Ciel nodded in understanding. "I see. Neither can I, actually." A wry smile crossed his face. "Sebastian tried to teach me, but I still feel like a clumsy ox trying to dance."

Kendall grinned and finished her tart happily. "I wish the servants could be here, I actually miss them quite a lot," she said with a sigh. "Kayla's all right, but it's just not the same. I got so used to living at your house. Seems silly, doesn't it?"

He opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by a hand dropping down on Kendall's shoulder. Her mother leaned in close and whispered something into her daughter's ear. Kendall's expression had shut down immediately, and she seemed to become exponentially smaller when compared to the stern, imposing woman. How could he put it…? Less vibrant? More…proper? Demure? What was the word for it? He puzzled for a bit, then returned to watching and listening. Ciel caught the phrases 'doesn't matter if your feet hurt' and 'important to be polite' and got the gist of it; Kendall was being scolded for not dancing with the young fellow. He must have been an important person. Her mother moved off again, not giving Ciel a single glance.

Kendall sighed and stood. "I have to go dance," she said apologetically. "I'll be back after this song, hopefully." And off she went, leaving Ciel to stand alone by the appetizer table. Sebastian appeared by his side.

"Now would be an excellent time to investigate Lord Atkins," he said, with the slightest hint of impatience.

"Right," Ciel said, looking around as if that was what he had been doing all night. "Where is"—

"Lord Phantomhive!" boomed a cheerful voice, accompanied by a slap on the back from none other than Lord Atkins himself.

Ordinarily the phrase 'speak of the devil' came to mind, but of course, Sebastian had already been there. Ciel gave his 'polite businessman' smile and shook Lord Atkins' hand. "Good evening, sir. Your mansion is lovely."

"Oh, thank you, my boy. It's a pleasure to have you; my Kendall was ever so excited you were coming." A jovial smile crossed the man's face.

"It's a pleasure to be here." The song ended, and automatically Ciel looked up and around Lord Atkins in anticipation of Kendall rushing back over. Unfortunately, she had somehow ended up all the way across the ballroom, and before she could take a single step back this way, another person asked her to dance. Ciel's irritation grew. He knew that guy; he wasn't as bad as the Viscount Druitt, but he was one of those boys who would get far too familiar with a girl while he danced with her. His blood began to boil again. "I'm terribly sorry, but if you'll excuse me." Leaving Lord Atkins to watch in utter confusion, Ciel inexplicably began making his way across the dance floor through the throngs of couples in each other's arms. Kendall was already looking uncomfortable; the boy's expression was truly just creepy, and his hands were a little lower than standard on her waist. Jeez, it seemed everyone who wore that dress was subject to creeps of some kind.

"Pardon me," Ciel said, irritation showing through in his voice, "but may I cut in?"

Kendall looked up with relief, whereas Mini-Viscount-Druitt looked up in mild irritation. "After this song, perhaps," he said, attempting to twirl Kendall around in a different direction despite her clumsy steps and reluctant movements. Ciel sidestepped and reappeared right next to the couple.

"May I cut in?" he repeated, his voice firmer this time and slightly menacing. Mini-Viscount-Druitt finally released Kendall and huffed, leaving to stand on the sidelines for this dance. Ciel smirked in a self-satisfied manner and stepped in, raising an eyebrow at Kendall. "Why on earth did you dance with _him_, of all people? Haven't you heard of his reputation?"

"My mother told me I was 'obligated to dance with everyone who asks at least once due to the fact that you are a hostess'," Kendall said, mimicking a stern voice near the end of her statement. "I couldn't very well refuse him. But thanks for the rescue," she said with relief. "He was such a creep."

"It wasn't a problem." They had begun to dance, and Ciel had hardly noticed his own clumsiness as compared to Lady Kendall's. She was generally well-balanced and light-footed at any other time, if a _little _clumsy, but when it came to this dance, she was stumbling all over the place. She truly hadn't been lying…although long hoop skirts probably didn't help for someone who didn't enjoy wearing them in the first place. It almost seemed like she had no idea how this dance went at all. People were staring, and more than once they'd bumped into another dancing pair.

"I am _so_ sorry, I told you I was a horrid dancer," Kendall said with a face red from embarrassment as she stepped on his foot for the third time.

"You're not horrid. It's just obvious you don't dance much."

"I don't," she admitted. "And the skirts don't help either. I'm not used to them." So Ciel had been right about that assumption.

The song ended, and the two hurried back across the dance-floor and away from the crowd. However, the band didn't begin another song, and it appeared that something was happening at the top of the staircase. Lord and Lady Atkins were standing at the top of the stairs next to each other, and Kendall looked confused as to why her parents were up there. "It's probably just an announcement or thanks to the guests or something," she thought out loud. Ciel gave an agreeing nod.

"Honored guests," Lord Atkins began, holding a glass of champagne in one hand, "we are pleased to welcome you to our mansion in this wonderful celebration. A business deal with Funtom has allowed my wife and me to go into an early and unexpected retirement from running the family company." Kendall went a bit stiff then, as if the reminder wasn't pleasant for her. Ciel could somewhat understand it, and her stiffness made him a bit uncomfortable.

"However," continued Kendall's father, "there is other news to be announced tonight that has been kept as a bit of a surprise." Kendall raised an eyebrow, which wasn't ignored by Ciel. So apparently she hadn't known about it either. "Where might my daughter be?" Looking confused, Kendall hesitantly waved a hand up at her parents. Her mother beckoned her, and with a bewildered look over her shoulder at Ciel (who was similarly lost), she hurried up the stairs. Her father threw an arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick squeeze. "Ladies and gentlemen, as of tonight, as of tonight, my lovely daughter is engaged!"

Cheers erupted from everyone in the crowd other than two people: Kendall and Ciel. Ciel's mouth literally dropped open, and Kendall stared up at her father with a blank expression that slowly turned into shock and rage.

"Who's the lucky guy, you ask?" Lord Atkins continued, beaming theatrically and not even paying attention to his daughter's reaction. "None other than our close family friend, Alois Trancy!"

Ciel's mouth closed and his face reddened as the shock and anger grew. Alois? ALOIS? It had to be him, didn't it? Apparently, whatever was pulling the strings up there just LOVED messing with his life in any and all possible ways.

The blonde boy stepped out from standing behind a pillar at the top of the stairs with a wide, cocky grin, his butler standing behind him. He took Kendall's hand and kissed the back of it, as she looked at him with revulsion. Kendall turned and hissed something to her father, who replied all too cheerfully. What she first said wasn't audible to the crowd, but her next statement was.

"I hate you!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, grabbing up the fabric of her skirts and bolting off to somewhere else on the upper floor. A hush fell over the crowd, as Alois watched his fiancée flee. A moment later, at the instruction of Lady Atkins, he hurried off after her.

Ciel quickly began making his way toward the door. All he could think about right now was his earlier conversation with Kendall:

"_That's why I'm never letting my parents choose who I'm marrying," Kendall said with a sigh, sitting back against a pillow. "If they try, I'm gone." _

"_You would run away?" Ciel sounded highly surprised._

"_I don't like anyone controlling my life for me." She sounded so sure of herself. "Besides, it's not like I'm overly dependent on Kayla or any of the servants. I'd be perfectly fine on my own."_

All Ciel knew was that he was going to have to catch up with her. If she somehow managed to get on a horse or something, who knew where she might go or when she might turn up again?

"My lord!" Sebastian's voice came from behind him as the butler caught up with his master. "This is unwise. I suggest you go back inside, it's a perfect opportunity to interrogate"—

"Shut UP about the investigation already!" Ciel said over his shoulder. "She'll run away if we don't catch her!"

Sebastian looked surprised while he followed his master around toward the back of the house. Now he was certain this wasn't about the investigation anymore; there was absolutely no way. "Where would she possibly go, my lord?"

"I—I don't know," Ciel huffed, panting as his asthma kicked in. He stumbled a couple times on a cobblestone path through the garden. "But we have to—find her." His gasping was interrupting his statements.

"My lord, if you don't know where she might have gone, this is a ridiculous venture. You'll harm yourself."

"There!" Ciel declared, pointing. They had run around toward the back of the Atkins mansion, and there was a tiny figure sneaking toward a stable, no longer wearing a hoop skirt, but still recognizable as Lady Kendall even from farther away. She must have changed her clothes rather quickly, then, but her hair was still up. She must have decided that time was of the essence, and that could be done later. "Kendall!" Ciel called, waving his arms. "Hold on, come back here!"

Kendall froze at Ciel's voice, then darted into the stable quickly. Ciel began running after her again, and by the time he got into the stable and opened the door, she was about to mount a palomino stallion. "Hold on!" Ciel protested, lunging forward and catching her ankle before she could get on the horse. Kendall yelped in surprise and toppled backward off the stirrup she'd been balanced on, accidentally landing on top of Ciel. He'd tried to catch her bridal-style like Sebastian did, but it wasn't nearly as easy as the butler made it look, and they ended up in a heap on the floor.

"Let go!" Kendall commanded him, scrambling off quickly and standing up with flushed cheeks. She had changed into a loose pair of black pants and a dark grey overcoat, with a leather bag slung over her shoulder.

"Where are you even planning to go?" Ciel demanded, stumbling to his feet and grabbing onto the horse's reins to keep her from being able to hop on and ride off.

There was a short but noticeable pause. "Away from here!" she replied forcefully, just the slightest waver in her voice. At closer inspection, her eyes were slightly red, like she'd begun to cry, but in the darkness of the stable it was hard to tell.

"You don't even have a plan, do you?" he asked harshly, still hanging on to the reins for dear life. The horse was getting antsy; their voices were getting louder and louder.

"I…I don't need one! I'm not going to stick around another second with any of these people!" she told him angrily, wiping at her cheeks hurriedly with a hiccup that could have been a sob. The light had hit her face and it was obvious she was crying now. "I told you, I'm not letting them pick that for me! They can tell me how to dress and they can tell me what to do, but they are NOT choosing that!"

"Come back inside the house," Ciel coaxed. "I'm sure we can get them to change their minds."

"No!" She pulled on the reins, yanking them out of Ciel's hands. "You just don't get it!" Onto the horse she hopped, looking down at Ciel with upset, angry, and scared eyes that were starting to spill over. "Move, Ciel. Please?"

Ciel stood firmly in front of her. "No."

"Ciel, _please_ move," she begged. "I don't want to have to run you over with the horse."

"You wouldn't."

"I will if I have to! I told you, I'm not staying here! I'll…I'll go live with my brother in Spain, or my sister in Germany!"

"How do you propose to get there by horse, without any food or water? Or any money?" he added, noting that the only things in the bag were paper and pencils. This girl needed to get her priorities straight. "And won't your siblings just send you home no matter where they are?"

"…I'll figure it out on the way, just…MOVE!" The sharpness and anguish in her voice was enough to make Ciel step to the side and watch her gallop off.

As soon as she was out of the stable and well on her way, his stupidity seemed to catch up with him and he groaned, rubbing his temples. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Continue your investigation," Sebastian's cold voice responded, causing Ciel to jolt in surprise. "My lord, this brief interruption in your work will end disastrously. It has no relation to your search for revenge and therefore is a waste of time. Not to mention the fact that the Queen will be furious with you if you do not focus wholly on the current case."

"A brief interruption? Is that what you call her?" Ciel asked, furious and hurrying to make up a lie. "She's just been engaged to Alois. _Alois Trancy._ She's the daughter of the suspect, and she's upset, and has run away. Who knows what that will trigger in her father"—

"Do not lie to a demon." Sebastian's voice was still hard and cold. "You have feelings for her. That is the entire reason this infuriates you, my lord."

Ciel pushed his way past the demon and came out of the stable, a deep scowl on his face. "You're imagining things." He jumped into his carriage, crossing his arms and sulking. "Take me home."

Sebastian obeyed, but was still deeply troubled and irritated with his young master's strange behavior. This was unlike Ciel. Well, the sulking and slight brattiness was normal, but the reasons for it were foreign. He'd never acted this way about Lady Elizabeth, or any other girl, for that matter. As the carriage began moving, Sebastian pondered this girl's sudden disappearance. Perhaps it was all for the best; Ciel would eventually refocus on the case the Queen had assigned him, and things would shift back to normal.


	16. Chapter 16 Reconciled

Finny hummed to himself as he walked through the garden, reading the instructions Sebastian had given him. They read:

'1. Weed the rosebushes—CAREFULLY. DO NOT PULL UP THE ROSES.

2. Spray pesticide. MAKE SURE THE LID IS CLOSED AND YOU DON'T SPILL ANY ON THE YARD.

3. Remove the large oak trees from the outer edges of the property. DO NOT DROP THE TREES BACK ON THE GARDEN AND CRUSH THE FLOWERS—TAKE THEM OUTSIDE THE GROUNDS.'

Finny pouted a bit. Sebastian's capital letters and clarifications were slightly insulting, but then again, they were all mistakes he'd made before, so it was understandable. "Well," he said aloud, "I'm already close to the edge of the grounds, so I'll remove the trees first."

He stood with his hands on his hips looking up the trunk of the first tree. "Careful up there, little animals, your home is moving!" he called up to any birds and squirrels that may have been there. He wrapped his arms around the trunk and pulled upward. With his remarkable strength, the trunk and roots pulled easily out of the ground. The trunk swayed sideways in his arms, and the oddest sounds reached his ears.

A yelp. A thud. And a distinctly female 'Ow!'

Finny threw the tree over the fence with ease and dusted off his hands, looking around for the source of the noises. He blinked.

Kendall was sitting on the ground, wide-eyed, sleepy-looking, and obviously confused. She must have been asleep up in the tree, and hadn't woken up when Finny shouted his warning.

"Kendall!" Finny exclaimed in excitement, dashing over and lifting her up in what was an understatement to be called a 'bear hug'. Surely a 'gorilla hug' or a 'boa constrictor hug' was more appropriate here.

"Finny," Kendall gasped, her toes dangling above the ground, "I can't breathe."

"Oops!" He dropped her back on the ground and steadied her as she inhaled quickly, catching her breath. It felt like he had bent one of her ribs or something. "I'm sorry! Are you here to visit? Why were you up in the tree?" He tilted his head at her.

"…Um…it's a long story."

"Well, you gotta come to the house and say hello to everyone, silly goose! You can't stay up a tree all day!" Finny grabbed her arm and started barreling—it couldn't really be called running—toward the mansion. Kendall tried to protest, but by the time Finny registered that she was speaking, they were outside the kitchen window. "What were you sayin'?" he asked innocently.

"Hey, kiddo," Bard said with a grin, exiting the kitchen when he saw them. "Didn't hear that you were comin' to visit." He slapped her on the back endearingly, sending her stumbling forward a step. "Where'd you come from, anyway?"

"She was up a tree!" Finny said cheerfully, just as Meirin came scurrying out of the house.

"Um, yeah, I actually have to go—hello, Meirin," Kendall said in surprise, having been hugged by the maid. At least this kind of hug didn't completely knock the wind out of her.

"It's been such a long time, it has! We missed you terribly, yes we did!" Meirin told her. All three of the servants seemed highly excited that she was here. "Oh, and I went to the stable for a minute the other day, and Laura just wouldn't stop asking where you were!"

"Oh, well, I mean, I missed you guys a lot," Kendall stammered, blushing a bit. She hadn't expected this enthusiastic of a welcome—frankly, she hadn't expected a welcome at all, considering she hadn't meant to be found. Actually, she'd been so tired last night that she'd climbed up the nearest tree and fallen asleep…she hadn't intended to head toward the Phantomhive mansion. After she fell off Daisy (that horse had always been wild) she'd had to continue on foot while the horse ran back toward home, and gotten herself hopelessly lost.

"Wait, where did Finny go?" Kendall asked after a moment, noticing the gardener's absence.

"Probably to get Mister Sebastian or Ciel," Meirin suggested. Kendall paled.

"Well, um, it's been nice to see you guys, but I ought to get"—

A white-gloved hand came down gently but firmly on her shoulder. "What a pleasant surprise," Sebastian said with a smile that just screamed 'you're SO gonna get it'. "We do so appreciate you stopping by, Lady Kendall. Won't you come inside?" He steered her toward the door, and she resigned herself to being caught.

"My lord, you have a visitor," Sebastian said with a voice full of satisfaction as he opened Ciel's study door. The earl was sitting at his desk with his cheek in his hand and his elbow on the table as usual as Kendall was gently pushed inside, although he looked more moody than usual. Ciel glanced up, and his eyes (or at least the visible one) widened briefly. Quickly, he recomposed himself.

"Thank you, Sebastian. You may leave now." Taking the cue and smirking, Sebastian left the room, fully expecting to hear shouts from in the study even as he headed down the staircase.

Ciel stood up from his desk, and Kendall fidgeted nervously, fiddling with the hem of her overcoat and looking anywhere but at him. He walked up until they were face-to-face, her nervous expression level with his emotionless, unreadable one.

He leaned over and hugged her tightly around the waist, causing both of them to go bright red and causing Kendall's eyes to go wide. He let go quickly, looking at her accusingly, and the moment was over. Still, both their faces were pink. "You terrified me, you know. I thought you were never coming back."

Kendall paused, then leaned forward and hugged him again, both their faces flushing once more. It was Ciel's turn to look surprised. "I'm sorry." She let go, looking at him apologetically. "I just…I was scared and I was angry. When it comes to fight or flight, I…I sort of…"

"You run away." Ciel tilted his head at her. "You act like you're open about your feelings all the time, but now I see. You're hiding. You don't actually show people what you're feeling; you just pretend like you do."

Kendall bit her lip, nodding after a long pause in which she still didn't look him in the eye. She almost looked on the verge of tears again.

"…That's part of the reason you don't like people seeing your drawings. You said it yourself; it's your thoughts on a page, and people knowing that scares you," Ciel continued slowly. "You don't like people being in your head, so you pretend like you let everyone in so nobody will pry any further."

"I just…I don't…" Kendall began, seeming to hesitate and be unable to find the words when she needed them. It was a big change from her usually-articulate motivational speeches about independence and whatnot. "It's not how I feel, you know? I just can't stand the mere _thought_ of marrying Alois…Not that there's anything particularly wrong with the guy that _I_ could see, but…I don't know him, and…They don't get why I think that way, so neither of my parents listen to me."

'Oh, there's plenty wrong with the guy,' Ciel thought to himself, recalling some of the past events that had occurred containing Alois. '_Plenty_ wrong.' "So you want people to know what you're thinking, but at the same time, you don't."

Kendall paused, seeming to debate this mentally. "I guess…I guess that's it. Sounds crazy and convoluted, doesn't it?"

"It does," Ciel replied, contemplating it for a minute. "But in a crazy and convoluted way, it also makes sense."

Kendall looked at him with a bit of hope and a bit of disbelief on her face, finally meeting his eyes—er, well, his eye. "Why do you wear that eye patch?" she asked abruptly, taking Ciel off-guard a bit. "It's odd not being able to look at you with both eyes."

"Um—my eye was injured in a fire," Ciel said, hurrying to remember the usual alibi he had for his eye patch.

"Oh." Kendall paused. "I'm sorry."

"There's nothing _you_ need to apologize for."

Kendall sighed, beginning to fiddle with the hem of her overcoat again. "It's just sad to hear." There was another long pause, during which neither of them made another attempt at eye contact with the other. "So…what exactly are we going to do, anyway?" Kendall asked after a while, glancing up at him finally. He met her eyes this time.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you found me. Are you planning to take me back to my parents, or do you have some other master plan?" she asked, a hopeful hint in her voice.

Ciel hesitated. As an English nobleman and business partner to Lord Atkins, his duty was to return Kendall to her parents, but as her friend (he was still refusing to acknowledge his further feelings) it was his duty to keep her from having to marry Alois. Not to mention the fact that he still had a case to solve, and he couldn't let on to Kendall what his case was about. In fact, even letting on that he worked for the Queen could be dangerous, and the longer she was here, the higher the risk that would happen. She already must have been suspicious because of that first letter she'd partially read.

"I think," he began slowly, "if you were to take a job here, we could let you stay."

Kendall's face lit up and she grinned, hugging Ciel again, more enthusiastic than sincere this time. "Thank you, Ciel!" she proclaimed as she let go, practically jumping up and down (but, thankfully, not quite). "What can I do?"

"Um…well, you seemed to be okay with the horses, so I guess you could be a stable-hand with Laura…" Ciel was a bit taken aback by her sudden change in nature. It was almost like Lizzy, but not as bad somehow. It was probably the voice, or the fact that she wasn't gushing over a pretty dress or something along those lines.

"Perfect!" Kendall exclaimed, beaming from ear to ear. "When do I start?"

**I'm so sorry for not uploading for such a long time! But now that it's summer, I'll probably be able to a lot more than usual. Anyway, here's the next chapter! Thank you for all the lovely reviews and feedback from the 3 1/2 people who read this. xD  
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	17. Chapter 17 Similar But Different

Ciel poked his head into the stable, glancing around curiously. He wrinkled up his nose at the smell; how Kendall could say she liked the smell of horse was something he would never understand. "Good morning?" he called, not seeing anyone inside.

"Good morning, Ciel!" Kendall said enthusiastically, hopping down from the loft above the stable where the stable-hands slept. She'd removed her 'runaway' clothes and was now wearing a pair of brown trousers tucked into knee-high boots and a loose cotton shirt. A stray piece of red string was being used to tie her hair back out of her face.

"How are you doing?" Ciel asked. Yesterday had been Kendall's first day as a stable-hand, and he was a bit concerned, if only because he didn't recall her saying she'd ever worked with horses before. And, well, there was the 'Pot-Headed Horseman' incident to remember. All throughout yesterday he'd been worrying that someone would run in and report that Kendall had been run over by a horse or something. At the same time, he hadn't wanted to barge in while she was learning the ropes of her new job, either.

"I'm wonderful! I love working out here."

"Good morning, Ciel," a sleepy voice called from above, as Laura rolled out of her bed and waved sluggishly at him.

"About time you woke up," Kendall said with a grin, looking up at her friend. "I was just about to start brushing Ella's mane, come brush her tail for me." She grabbed a wire brush, moving over to one of the stables and opening the gate. A reddish brown mare with a darker mane walked out calmly, and Kendall tethered her to a post inside the stable. "So, Ciel, what brings you out here?" she asked, running the brush through Ella's mane.

Ciel had been hoping she wouldn't ask that question, because he wasn't really sure what the answer was. "I was just checking to see how you were doing," he said after a short pause. "Are you satisfied with this job?"

"Oh, yes. I get to be with animals all day and I get to talk to Laura, not to mention I don't have to go back home." Kendall seemed completely in her element here.

Ciel looked relieved. "That's good to hear." Silence. Now things were awkward. Laura, though, managed to save the silence from overwhelming them.

"So, Ciel, can you even ride a horse?" she asked bluntly, grabbing a brush and pulling up a stool behind the horse, brushing through her tail. "I don't think I've ever seen you ride."

"What a preposterous question. Of course I can."

"Then we should go riding today," Laura said with a grin. "With Kendall around, I got all of today's work done yesterday. All we have to do is feed the horses and then it's a free day for us."

Kendall brightened. "Why not?" she said, glancing at Ciel. "How about it, Ciel?"

"I have paperwork to do…" he replied flatly. Both girls frowned, Kendall practically deflating like a balloon. Ciel paused, seeming a bit reluctant. "I suppose it couldn't hurt," he agreed after a moment. Kendall just looked so excited to go; he couldn't disappoint her like that. "Where will we even go?"

"There's a nice hilltop and a clearing nearby," Laura suggested. "We could pack a picnic."

"Ooh, good idea," Kendall agreed.

"I'll let Sebastian know," Ciel said after a moment, still seeming slightly reluctant.

"Let's get the feeding done quickly, then, so we can eat breakfast there," Kendall said, hopping up and grabbing a metal bucket.

"Ciel, have Sebastian start cooking now, then. We'll probably all be starving by the time we get there," Laura told him. Apparently, she wasn't as respectful as the rest of the servants, but Ciel didn't seem to care, because he silently headed back into the house.

"Sebastian!" he shouted as he reentered. The butler was by his side in seconds. "Yes, my lord?"

"I'm going on a horseback ride and a picnic with Laura and Kendall. Prepare breakfast for us."

Sebastian frowned for a moment, then smirked. "Young master, you do recall that you are unable to ride a horse, correct?"

"I know that," Ciel snapped irritably. "Just make breakfast already."

"As you wish, my lord." In a flash, Sebastian was in the kitchen, putting together a picnic basket and smirking to himself. As much as he seemed to dislike the 'distraction' of Lady Kendall's presence, the lengths his master would go to in order to please her were amusing.

"Oy, what'cha doin'?" Bard asked midway through pulverizing a steak with an actual hammer rather than a meat mallet.

"The young master is embarking on a picnic with Lady Kendall and Laura. I'm making their breakfast."

"Oh, how cute!" Meirin squealed, clapping her hands together.

"They seem like such good friends already," Finny said thoughtfully.

"O' course they are," Bard said, setting down the hammer and pulling out a ridiculously large knife. **A/N: Kniiiiives! :D Kay, sorry. I haven't butted into my own story randomly for a while, so hello and goodbye. **"Ain't you noticed how different they are?"

"…Bard, that doesn't make any sense," Finny said in confusion, tilting his head at the chef.

"Haven't you heard the old saying, Finny? Opposites attract, yes they do!" Meirin said, nodding sagely.

"They're not so much opposites as they are different," Sebastian cut in. "Two people who are complete opposites can never get along. People must be similar but different to enjoy each other's company. Think of it as being like a stone and a diamond. Both are hard and come from the earth, and both come in many varieties. But one is valuable, while the other is commonplace and worthless. Similar, but different."

"Then which one's the stone and which one's the diamond?" Finny asked.

"That is something we will discover on the way." Sebastian had finished packing the picnic, and he left the kitchen, leaving the three servants to stare at each other with puzzled expressions.

**Hello, everyone! I am so so so so so soooo sorry for not updating in ages, I was busy and then my computer got a virus and...yeah. So, I'm back, and hoping that you all haven't abandoned reading my story. I have a Wizard of Oz crack chapter in the works, so look forward to that in the near future, too. **

**Just curious...how many people actually read my story? I'm not begging for reviews or anything, but I'm curious so...review if you would like to. xD I enjoy hearing from you guys, and since I no longer have an editor, I'm hoping the Canon characters haven't become too OOC. And Kendall, too. I'm hoping she's not too OOC with the spazzy happiness. If she became like Lizzy...*shudder* I would have to kill her with fire. And that would break my heart, so warn me if you see pink flags (red flags aren't fashionable enough for Lizzy).**

**~Areida Martinez**


	18. Chapter 18 Downhill

Kendall and Laura both perked up when Ciel returned with the picnic basket. Three horses had been saddled up in a row, and they seemed just as anxious to get going as the girls.

"Here, I'll take the picnic basket," Laura said, taking it from Ciel and putting it carefully into one of the saddlebags.

"You should lead. I don't know where we're going, so I'll just get us lost," Kendall said, hopping up onto her horse. Laura followed suit, nodding agreement.

"Besides," Kendall continued, not noticing the wary look Ciel was giving to his horse, "if I'm behind you, I can watch you to make sure you don't eat all the food before we get there." She grinned at her friend, who huffed and looked forward.

"You'd get us lost even if you knew where we were going. You have the worst sense of direction out of anybody here." She shot a teasing grin over her shoulder.

"You're like a bottomless pit of hunger, I can't be too careful," Kendall taunted.

Ciel looked up at his horse with intimidation, swallowing subtly and attempting to imitate what he'd seen Kendall do, putting his foot in the stirrup and trying to pull himself up. He somehow ended up on his butt, sitting on the ground with his ankle tangled in the stirrup, having slid backward off and onto the stable floor. Laura was snickering in her saddle, obviously finding that sight hilarious. Kendall shot her a reproachful look, but it was obvious she was holding back laughter as well. "Ciel…" she said, tilting her head at him questioningly.

"Yes, yes, I can't ride a horse, I'll admit it," he griped, his face flushed with embarrassment.

"That's what you get for pretending," Laura sniggered.

"Oh, hush already," Kendall said, rolling her eyes. "I swear, you can be so mean sometimes."

With Laura still trying not to laugh, Kendall dismounted from the horse and helped Ciel to his feet, dusting off his back for him. Ciel reluctantly let her do so, just because he didn't want to have bits of straw and dirt all over him from the stable floor.

"Here, I'll help you." Standing behind Ciel to be sure he didn't fall again, she helped him up onto the horse, and a moment later he was sitting nervously atop his ride, looking quite out of place and quite uncomfortable.

"We could just as easily have taken a carriage," Ciel grumbled under his breath. Laura heard it and snorted.

"There aren't any streets or roads where we're going; the only way to get there would be to walk or ride." She grinned over a shoulder at him. "You're just grumpy 'cause you can't ride a horse." **A/N: I was so tempted to put the line 'Where we're going we don't need roads' here...but then, I don't like plagiarism, so. xD**

"Actually, yes, I am," he griped.

"If you two could stop arguing for the ride, that'd make this picnic a little more enjoyable," Kendall mentioned, wrapping the reins around her hand. "Let's go, before something else happens and you two get into a fistfight."

"Because everyone knows I would win and Ciel would end up with a black eye," Laura muttered with a smirk.

"You're the one who hurt yourself playing some silly game with Finny the other day," Ciel countered. Laura shot him a glare and rubbed her forehead, where a small bruise was proudly displayed.

"Maybe just for that, you don't get any of the picnic food," she said airily.

"Come on, you two," Kendall sighed in exasperation.

Laura and Kendall clicked their tongues, and their horses started forward at a steady walk, so Ciel attempted to do the same. His tongue-click didn't work out very well, but it apparently registered with his horse, because it plodded along behind the two girls at a bit of a slower pace. Apparently, Ciel's horse was a bit mellower than the girls', which was perfectly fine with Ciel. He didn't want to be the one on the mad, rampaging horse that would go crazy and run off the path, because he would be stuck on that horse the whole time with no control.

Thankfully, Ciel didn't fall off his horse or end up in any other incidents along the way, and they safely made it to the place Laura had in mind. It was a high hill, with a few trees at the top. It overlooked nothing but more grassy, rolling hills for a good distance. At the very edge of the horizon, one could see the cityscape of London.

"Wow," Kendall breathed. "It's so beautiful!"

Laura grinned. "I told you I had the perfect place in mind." She and Kendall hopped down off their horses, and Laura began setting up the blanket.

"Er, Kendall?" Ciel said tentatively, still sitting on his horse.

"Mmhmm?" She turned around, looked at him for a minute in confusion, then started to laugh. "Oh. Right. You don't know how to get down," she said, still smiling as she moved over. "Here, I'll help you."

Laura was snickering as she set up the food, but Ciel did nothing more than glare at her as he loosened his feet from the stirrups and turned side-saddle on the horse. "Are you sure this is sa-AAH!" he yelped. He'd slid off the saddle before he was ready and had landed squarely atop Kendall.

She tried to stay steady and catch him, but he'd thrown her off-balance and the two of them rolled down the hillside, coming to a stop a few yards apart when their momentum finally ran out. Kendall sat up, spitting out grass and thoroughly covered in small twigs, leaves, and grass stains.

Ciel sat up with a huff, rather disgruntled and just as messy. "Yes, that was entirely safe," he grumbled sarcastically. Kendall gave him a sheepish look.

"Sorry." She stood up and shouted up the hillside toward Laura: "THANKS FOR THE HELP!"

"You two don't need any help being clumsy," came Laura's reply.

Kendall rolled her eyes and moved to Ciel, helping him up and picking some of the grass out of his hair, him looking rather sullen as she did so.

"Sorry about your clothes," Kendall noted. They were covered in wrinkles and grass-stains.

"Sebastian can fix them," Ciel mumbled, and the two headed back up the hill. They found Laura lying out on the blanket, already munching on one of the little sandwiches Sebastian had packed for their picnic.

"Oh, yes, no need to wait for us or make sure we're okay," Kendall said sarcastically, flopping next to Laura and taking a sandwich for herself.

"I was hungry, no need to be all huffy with me," Laura replied. It was obvious the two of them had a rather casual relationship.

Ciel sat opposite from the two of them, sitting up straight and setting a napkin on his lap before he began eating. There were occasional bursts of friendly bickering from Laura and Kendall, but otherwise it was a rather quiet meal. When the food was gone, Laura stood up and stretched.

"You know what would be fun?" she said with a mad grin, looking slyly at Kendall. She looked back at Laura with mild confusion until Laura jerked her head toward Ciel, and then she picked up on the hint.

"I don't know, what, Laura?" Kendall said mischievously, standing up. Now Ciel was looking up at the two of them warily.

"We should RUN DOWN THE HILL!" Laura shouted.

Each of the girls grabbed ahold of one of Ciel's arms, and they hoisted him to his feet. Amidst his protests and struggling, they both started running down the hill at top speed, each of them linking an arm with Ciel. Soon they had so much momentum that they were hardly touching the ground anymore; both girls were squealing and laughing as Ciel tried to keep up in between them. A moment later, though, their linked arms became their downfall-literally. Ciel stumbled, and both the girls went down with him. The three started tumbling down the hill wildly, and they all wound up in a heap at the bottom of the hill.

Laura started giggling as soon as she got her breath back, and Kendall soon joined in with laughter of her own.

Ciel tried his best to be disgruntled, but he felt laughter creeping up his throat to his mouth. Maybe it was just the adrenaline or the infectiousness of the girls' laughter, but Ciel started laughing along with them, until all three were spent and gasping for breath. It was then that Ciel finally noticed something.

"Kendall, you're bleeding," he said in alarm, spotting a rather nasty scrape on her cheek.

"I am?" She reached up to touch her face, and when her fingers came away with blood on them, she blinked. "...Oh. You're right, I am."

Laura jumped up. "We should get back and have Sebastian look at that," she said hurriedly, obviously concerned about her friend.

Ciel got up as well, holding out a hand to help up Kendall. "Laura's right." Kendall's cut was beginning to bleed somewhat severely now.

"You have a scrape too," Kendall pointed out, gesturing to Ciel's knee, which was likewise bloody from their roll down the hill.

He looked down to see the damage, but he insisted on helping her up. "Mine isn't as severe. You're bleeding all over."

"I'm fine," Kendall insisted as the trio started up the hill. Once they reached the top, Laura and Ciel started packing up the picnic, while Kendall mounted her horse. Ciel got onto his horse with the help of Laura this time, and they rode back as quickly as was safe for an inexperienced rider like Ciel.


End file.
